













































; ' •*> - 
^ ^ •S^, ' 


^ c*^ ^ 'O 

''\ 0 ^ 

^ '"o 0^ ' 

» •» 

® •q 5 ^ 

" O S 0 ^ % " . 

^ o V ^ '' * « /- > 


U 




%. ' » • ^ ■* -i.'i O N c C ^ 

, 9. ■■0‘ *- "5p 
















V 






A 


f ^ • 







1 









GREGORY EXPLAINS HIS MISSION TO ZAKI 


i 




WITH 


KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


A STOEY OP ATBAEA AND OMDUEMAN 


I 





G. A' PENTT 
. \) » 

Author of “With Roberts to Pretoria,” “The Lion of St. Mark,” 
“The Bravest of the Brave,” “ With Wolfe in Canada,” Ac. 


WITH TEN ILLUSTRA TIONS BY WILLIAM RAINEY, R.Ji 
AND THREE MAPS 


NEW YORK 

CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS 


1 


COPTBIGHT, 1902, BT 
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS 


Published, September, 1902 


YViaXcA* 5“/ 1 ^ 3 S 


0 


PREFACE 


The reconquest of the Soudan will ever be mentioned as 
one of the most difficult and at the same time the most suc- 
cessful enterprises ever undertaken. The task of carrying 
an army hundreds of miles across a waterless desert, convey- 
ing it up a great river bristling with obstacles, defeating an 
enormously superior force unsurpassed in the world for cour- 
age, and finally killing the leader of the enemy and crushing 
out the last spark of opposition, was a stupendous one. 
After the death of Gordon and the retirement of the British 
troops there was no force in existence that could have barred 
the advance of the fanatical hordes of the Mahdi had they 
poured down into Egypt. The native Egyptian army was 
as yet in the earliest stage of organization, and could not be 
relied upon to stand firm against the wild rush of the Der- 
vishes. Fortunately time was given for that organization to 
be completed, and when at last the Dervish forces marched 
north they were repulsed. Assouan was saved, and Wady 
Haifa became the Egyptian outpost. 

Gradually preparations were made for taking the offensive : 
a railway was constructed along the banks of the Hile, and a 
mixed force of British and Egyptians drove the enemy be- 
yond Dongola ; then by splendidly organized labour a railroad 
was made from Wady Haifa across the desert towards the 
elbow of the great bend from Dongola to Abu Hamed. The 
latter place was captured by an Egyptian brigade moving up 
from the former place, and from that moment the movement 
was carried on with irresistible energy. The railway was 
pushed forward to Abu Hamed, and then southward past 


V 


vi 


PREFACE 


Berber up to the Atbara river. An army of twenty thousand 
men under one of the Khalifa’s sons was attacked in a strong 
position and defeated with immense loss. Fresh British 
troops were then brought up, and, escorted by gun-boats and 
steamers carrying provisions, the army marched up the Kile, 
crushed the Khalifa’s great host before Omdurman, and re- 
cove 3d possession of Khartoum. 

T jn the moving spirit of this enterprise, the man whose 
marvellous power of organization had secured its success, was 
called to other work. Fortunately he had a worthy successor 
in Colonel Wingate, who, with a native force, encountered 
that which the Khalifa had again gathered near El Obeid, 
the scene of the total destructioii of the army under Hicks 
Pasha, routed it with ease, killing the Khalifa and all his 
principal emirs. Thus a land that had been turned into a 
desert by the terrible tyranny of the Mahdi and his successor 
was wrested from barbarism and restored to civilization, and 
the stain upon British honour caused hy the desertion of 
Gordon by the British ministry of the day was wiped out. 
It was a marvellous campaign — marvellous in the perfection 
of its organization, marvellous in the completeness of its 
success. 


G. A. HENTY. 


CONTENTS 

rv 

Vl 

CHAP. PAGE 

I. Disinherited 1 

II. The Rising in Alexandria 18 

III. A Terrible Disaster 38 

IV. An Appointment 55 

V. Southward 67 

VI. Gregory Volunteers 84 

VII. To Metemmeh 103 

VIII. Among the Dervishes Ill 

IX. Safely Back 123 

X. Afloat 141 

XI. A Prisoner 158 

XII. The Battle of Atbara 182 

XIII. The Final Advance 199 

XIV. Omdurman 220 

XV. Khartoum 233 

XVI. A Voice from the Dead 249 • 

XVII. A Fugitive 266 

XVIII. A Hakim 285 

vii 


viii CONTENTS 

CHAP. PAGE 

XIX. The Last Page 302 

XX. A Momentous Communication 309 

XXI. Gedareh 326 

XXII. The Crowning Victory 344 

XXIII. An Unexpected Discovery 362 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

Gregory Explains His Mission to Zaki . . Frontispiece 
“ His keen glance seemed to Gregory to take him in 

PROM HEAD TO FOOT” 

“ Gregory grasped the Arab’s wrist ” 116 

“ The gun-boats opened fire at the two nearest 
forts” 

“ Suddenly he felt his ropes slacken and pall prom 

HIM ” 

<< With a cheer the cavalry rode down into the midst 


OF THE FOE ” 226 

Gregory Finds His Father’s Papers 258 

“ Taking the bridle I led the horse towards the 

well ” 273 


Several men started out from the bushes, rifle in 
hand” 328 

“ He’ waved a white handkerchief, and the firing 

CEASED ” 356 


Map of Egypt 70 

Plan of the Battle of Atbara . 182 


Plan of the Battle of Omdurman 

ix 


. 220 




CHAPTEK I 

* DISINHERITED 

W ANTED, an active and intelligent young man for 
general work in a commercial house having a 
branch at Alexandria. It is desirable that he 
should be able to write a good hand, and if neces- 
sary to assist in office work. Wages £2 per week. Personal 
application to be made at Messrs. Partridge & Co., 453 
Leadenhall Street.” 

This advertisement was read by a man of five or six and 
twenty, in a small room in the upper story of a house in 
Lupus Street, Pimlico. He was not the only inmate of the 
room, for a young woman, apparently not more than eighteen, 
was sitting there sewing, her work interrupted occasionally 
! by a short, hacking cough. Her husband, for this was the 
I relation in which he stood to her, put down the paper care- 
i lessly and then got up. 

I “ I am going out, dear, on my usual search. You know we 
I have agreed that it is of no use my trying to live by my pen. 

! I get an article accepted occasionally, but it^s not enough to 

provide more than bread and cheese. I must look for some- 
I thing else.” 

I But you must succeed presently, Gregory.” 

I “Yes, dear; but while the grass grows the horse starves. 
At any rate I will try for something else. If I get anything, 
it wonT prevent my writing; and when my genius is recog- 
nized I can drop the other thing and take to literature reg- 

1 


2 


WITH KITCHENEE IN' THE SOUDAH 


ularly again. Well, I won’t be away longer than I can help. 
Anyhow I will be back to our mid-day banquet. I will bring 
a couple of rashers of bacon in with me. We have potatoes 
enough, I think.” 

So saying, he kissed his wife tenderly and went out. 

Gregory Hartley belonged to a good family. He was the 
second son of the Hon. James Hartley, brother of the Mar- 
quis of Langdale. He had been educated at Harrow and 
Cambridge, and after leaving the university had gone out 
to Egypt with a friend of his father’s, who was an enthusiast 
in the exploration of the antiquities of that country. Greg- 
ory had originally intended to stay there a few months at 
most, but he was infected by the enthusiasm of his compan- 
ion, and remained in Egypt for two years, when the professor 
was taken ill and died, and he returned home. 

A year later he fell in love with the governess in a neigh- 
bouring family; his feeling was reciprocated, and they be- 
came engaged. His father was furious when his son told 
him what had taken place. 

It is monstrous,” he said, “ after the education that you 
have had, and the place that I, if I survive him, or, if not, 
your brother, will take at the death of your uncle, that you 
should dream of throwing yourself away in this manner. I 
have looked to your making a good marriage, for, as you 
know, I am not what may be called a rich man. Your 
brother’s tastes are expensive, and what with his education 
and yours, and the allowances I have made you both, it is as 
much as I have been able to do to keep up our position. And 
there are your sisters to be provided for. The idea of your 
falling in love with this young woman is monstrous.” 

“Young lady, Eather. She is a clergyman’s daughter.” 

“ I won’t hear of such a thing — I will not hear of it for a 
moment ; and if you persist in this mad folly, I tell you fairly 
that from this moment I shall have nothing more to say to 
you! You have to choose between me and this penniless 
beggar.” 


DISINHEKITED 


3 


“I am sorry you put it in that way, sir. My choice is 
made. I am engaged to this young lady, and shall certainly 
marry her. I trust that when your present anger has sub- 
sided you will recognize that my honour was involved in the 
matter, and that even if I wished it I could not, without 
showing myself to be a downright cad, draw back.” 

And so Gregory Hartley married the girl of his choice. 
She had for some time refused to allow him to sacrifice him- 
self; but when she found that he was as determined as his 
father, and absolutely refused to release her from the engage- 
ment, she had given way, and had, after a quiet marriage, 
accompanied him to London. There he had endeavoured 
to get literary work, but had found it much harder than he 
had expected. The market was overcrowded, and they had 
moved from comfortable lodgings into small rooms, and so 
step by step had come to the attic in Lupus Street. He was 
doing a little better now, and had hopes that ere long he 
would begin to make his way steadily up. But the anxiety 
had told on his wife. Never very strong, she had developed 
a short, hard cough, and he had drawn upon his scanty re- 
serves to consult a specialist. 

“ There is undoubtedly lung trouble,” the latter said. “ If 
you can manage it, I should say that she ought certainly to 
be taken to a warm climate. The damage is not extensive 
as yet, and it is probable that under favourable circumstances 
she might shake it off; but I fear that if she continues to 
live in London her chances are not great.” 

This Gregory felt was almost equivalent to a death-sen- 
tence, and he had begun to consult the advertisements in the 
papers for some post abroad. He had, unknown to her, ap- 
plied for several situations, but without success. When he 
first read the advertisement that morning, he had hardly 
thought of applying for the situation. His pride revolted 
at the idea of becoming a mere messenger; but his wife^s 
cough had decided him. 

What did it matter, so that he could save her life? ‘‘I 


4 : 


WITH KITCHENEK IlST THE SOITDAH 


may not get it,” he said to himself as he went out ; but my 
knowledge of Arabic and the native dialect is all in my 
favour. And at least in a year or two she may have, thor- 
oughly shaken off the cough, and that is everything. At any 
rate I have a better chance of getting this, than I had of 
the other places that I applied for. There can hardly be a 
rush of applicants. When I am out there I may hear of 
something better. However, I will take another name. 
Fortunately I have a second one, which will do very well. 
Hilliard will do as well as Hartley; and as I never write it in 
full as my signature, no one would recognize it as my name. 
There is nothing to be ashamed of in accepting such a post. 
As for the marquis, as he has never been friendly with us, 
it does not matter; he is, I have heard, a very tough sort 
of man, and my father is not likely to survive him. But I 
do not think it would be fair to Geoffrey, when he comes into 
his peerage, that anyone should be able to say that he has 
a brother who is porter in a mercantile house at Alexandria. 
We have never got on very well together. The fact that he 
was heir to a title spoilt him. I think he would have been 
a very good fellow if it hadn’t been for that.” 

On arriving at the office in Leadenhall Street he was, on 
saying he wished to speak to Mr. Partridge, at once shown in 
A good many of his personal belongings had been long since 
pledged, but he had retained one or two suits, so that he could 
make as good an appearance as possible when he went out. 
The clerk had merely said A gentleman wishes to speak to 
you, sir,” and the merchant looked up enquiringly at him as 
he entered. 

“ I have come to see you, sir, with reference to that adver- 
tisement for a man at your establishment at Alexandria.” 

A look of surprise came over the merchant’s face, and he 
said : “ Have you called on your own account ? ” 

Yes ; I am anxious to go abroad for the sake of my wife’s 
health, and I am not particular, as to what I do, so that I can 
take her to a warm climate. ’ 1 may .Sav that I have been two 


DISINHERITED 


5 


years in Egypt, and speak Arabic and Koptic fluently. I am 
strong and active, and am ready to make myself useful in 
any way.” 

I Mr. Partridge did not answer for a minute. Certainly 
I this applicant was not at all the sort of man he had expected 
j to apply for the place in answer to his advertisement. That 
i he was evidently a gentleman was far from an advantage, 
I but the fact that he could speak the languages would add 
I much to his value. 

j Can you give me references ? ” he said at last. 

I I cannot, sir. I should not like to apply to any of my 

I friends in such a matter. I must ask you to take me on 
trust. Frankly, I have quarrelled with my family and have 
to strike out for myself. Were it not for my wife’s health 
I could earn my living, but I am told it is essential that she 
should go to a warm climate, and as I see no other way of 
accomplishing this I have applied for this situation, hoping 
that my knowledge of the language and my readiness to per- 
form whatever duties I may be required to do, might induce 
you to give me a trial.” 

‘^And you would, if necessary — say in the case of illness 
of one of my clerks — be ready to help in the office ? ” 
Certainly, sir.” 

“ Will you call again in half an hour? I will give you an 
answer then.” 

1 By the time Gregory returned, the merchant’s mind was 
made up. He had come to the conclusion that the story he 
had heard was a true one ; the way it had been told was con- 
vincing. The man was undoubtedly a gentleman; there was 
no mistake in his manner and talk. He had quarrelled with 
his family, probably over his marriage, and, as so many had 
! done, found it difficult to keep his head above water. His 
wife had been ordered to a warm climate, and he was ready 
1 to do anything that would enable him to keep her there. It 
would assuredly be a jould 


act in an emergency 



dedge of 


6 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


language would greatly add to his utility. It certainly was 
not business to take a man without a reference, but the ad- 
vantages more than counterbalanced the disadvantages. It 
was not likely that he would stay with him long, but at any 
rate the fact that he was taking his wife with him would 
ensure his staying until he saw something a great deal better 
elsewhere. When Gregory returned therefore he said : 

I have been thinking this matter over. What is your 
name ? ” 

“ Gregory Hilliard, sir.” 

“ Well, I have been thinking it over, and I have decided 
to engage you. I quite believe the story that you have told 
me, and your appearance fully carries it out. You may con- 
sider the matter settled. I am willing to pay for a second- 
class passage for your wife as well as yourself, and will give 
such instructions to my agents there as will render your 
position as easy for you as possible. In the natural course 
of things your duties would have included the sweeping out 
of the offices and work of that description, but I will instruct 
him to engage a native to do this under your supervision. 
You will be in charge of the warehouse under the chief 
storekeeper, and, as you say, you will, in case of pressure of 
work in the office, take a desk there. In consideration of 
your knowledge of the language, which will render you at 
once more useful than a green hand would be, I shall add ten 
shillings a week to the wages named in the advertisement, | 
which will enable you to obtain comfortable lodgings.” 

“ I am heartily obliged to you, sir,” Gregory said, and 
will do my best to show that your confidence in me has not 
been misplaced. When do you wish me to sail? I shall only 
require a few hours to make my preparations.” 

“ Then in that case I will take a passage for you and your 
wife in the P. & O. that sails next Thursday from South- 
ampton. I may say that it is our custom to allow fifteen 
pounds for outfit. If you will call again in half an hour I 
will hand you the ticket and a cheque for that amount, and 




EEITED 

you can call the dky-fe€f^:e..^5iij^go, for a lef 
there.” 

Gregory ascended the stairs to his lodging with a far more 
elastic step than usual. His wife saw at once, as he entered, 
that he had good news of some sort. 

“ What is it, Gregory ? ” 

Thank God, darling, that I have good news to give you 
at last ! I have obtained a situation at about a hundred and 
thirty pounds a year in Alexandria.” 

“ Alexandria ? ” she repeated in surprise. 

“ Yes. It is the place of all others that I wanted to go to ; 
you see I understand the language. That is one thing; and 
what is of infinitely more consequence, it is a place that will 
suit your health, and you will, I hope, very soon get rid of 
that nasty cough. I did not tell you at the time, but. f he 
doctor I took you to, said that this London air didmot suifr- 
you, but that a warm climate would soon seLyo^ up again." 

“ You are going out there for my sake, Gregory! As if I 
hadn’t brought trouble enough on you alrea 

“ I would bear a good deal more trouble for y\)ur sal 
you need not worry about that.” 

And what are you going to do ? ” she asked."^ 

I am going to be a sort of useful man — extra 
ant storekeeper, et cetera, et cetera. I like Egypt very much, 
it will suit me to a T ; at any rate it will be a vast improve- 
ment upon this. Talking of that, I have forgotten the 
rashers; I will go and get them at once. We sha’n’t have 
to depend upon them as our main staple in future, for fruit 
is dirt-cheap out there, and one does not want much meat. 
We shall be able to live like princes on two pounds ten a 
week, and besides, this appointment may lead to something 
better, and we may consider that there is a future before us. 
We are to sail on Thursday. Look! here are fifteen golden 
sovereigns, that is for my outfit, and we can begin with lux- 
uries at once. We shall not want much outfit : half a dozen 
suits of white drill for myself and some gowns for you,” 



8 


WITH KITCHEHEE IN THE SOUDAN 


‘^Nonsense, Gregory! I sha’n’t want anything. You 
would not let me sell any of my dresses, and I have half a 
dozen light ones. I shall not want a penny spent on me.” 

^^Very well; then I will begin to be extravagant at once. 
In the first place, I will go down to that confectioner’s round 
the corner, and we will celebrate my appointment with a cold 
chicken and a bottle of port. I shall be back in five 
minutes.” 

^‘Will it be very hot, Gregory?” she asked, as they ate 
their meal. ‘^Not that I am afraid of heat, you know; I 
always like summer.” 

“No; at any rate not at present. We are going out at the 
best time of the year, and it will be a comfort indeed to 
change these November fogs for the sunshine of Egypt. You 
will have four or five months to get strong again before it be- 
gins to be hot. Even in summer there are cool breezes morn- 
ing and evening, and of course no one thinks of going out in 
the middle of the day. I feel as happy as a school-boy at 
the thought of getting out of this den and this miserable 
climate, and of basking in the sunshine. We have had a bad 
beginning, dear, but we have better days before us.” 

“ Thank God, Gregory ! I have not cared about myself. 
But it has been a trial, when your manuscripts have come 
back, to see you sitting here slaving away ; and to know that 
it is I who have brought you to this.” 

“ I brought myself to it, you obstinate girl ! I have pleased 
myself, haven’t I? If a man chooses a path for himself he 
must not grumble because he finds it rather rougher than he 
expected. I have never for a single moment regretted what 
I have done, at any rate as far as I myself am concerned.” 

“ Nor I, for my own sake, dear. The life of a governess 
is not so cheerful as to cause one regret at leaving it.” 

And so Gregory Hartley and his wife went out to Alex- 
andria, and established themselves in three bright rooms in 
the upper part of a house that commanded a view of the 
port and the sea beyond it. The outlay required for furni- 


DISINHERITED 


9 


ture was small indeed: some matting for the floors, a few 
cushions for the divans which ran round the rooms, a bed, a 
few simple cooking utensils, and a small stock of crockery 
sufficed. 

I Mr. Ferguson, the manager of the branch, had at first read 
I the letter that Gregory had brought him with soriie doubt 
in his mind as to the wisdom of his principal in sending out 
! a man who was evidently a gentleman. This feeling, how- 
I ever, soon wore away, and he found him perfectly ready to 
I undertake any work to which he was set. 
j There was, indeed, nothing absolutely unpleasant about 
i this. He was at the office early, and saw that the native 
j swept and dusted the offices. The rest of the day he was 
I either in the warehouse,’ or carried messages, and generally 
did such odd jobs as were required. A fortnight after his 
arrival one of the clerks was kept away by a sharp attack of 
fever, and as work was pressing, the agent asked Gregory to 
take his place. 

“ I will do my best, sir, but I know nothing of mercantile 
i accounts.” 

I The work will be in no way difficult. Mr. Hardman will 
take Mr. Parrot’s ledgers, and as you will only have to copy 
the storekeeper’s issues into the books, five minutes will show 
you the form in which they are entered.” 

Gregory gave such satisfaction that he was afterwards 
employed at office work whenever there was any pressure, 
i A year and a half passed comfortably ; at the end of twelve 
months his pay was raised another ten shillings a week. He 
had, before leaving England, signed a contract to remain with 
the firm for two years. He regretted having to do this, as 
it prevented his accepting any better position should an open- 
ing occur; but he recognized that the condition was a fair 
one after the firm paying for his outfit and for two passages. 

' At the end of eighteen months Gregory began to look about 
for something better. 

“ I don’t mind my work a bit,” he said to his wife, but 


10 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


if only for the sake of the boy ” (a son had been born a few 
months after their arrival), “ I must try to raise myself in 
the scale a bit. I have nothing to complain about at the 
office; far from it. From what the manager said to me the 
other day, if a vacancy occurred in the office I should have 
the offer of the berth. Of course it would be a step, for I 
know from the books that Hardman gets two hundred a year, 
which is forty more than I do.” 

I should like you to get something else, Gregory. It 
troubles me to think that half your time is spent packing up 
goods in the warehouse, and work of that sort; and even if 
we got less I would much rather, even if we had to stint our- 
selves, that your work was more suitable to your past, and 
such that you could associate again with gentlemen on even 
terms.” 

That does not trouble me, dear, except that I wish you 
had some society among ladies. However, both for your sake 
and the boy’s, and I own I should like it myself, I will cer- 
tainly keep on the look-out for some better position. I have 
often regretted now that I did not go in for a commission 
in the army. I did want to, but my father would not hear 
of it. By this time, with luck, I might have got my com- 
pany ; and though the pay would not have been more than I 
get here, it would, with quarters and so on, have been as 
much, and we should be in a very different social position. 
However, it is of no use talking about that now, and indeed 
it is difficult to make plans at all. Things are in such an 
unsettled condition here, that there is no saying what will 
happen. 

“You see, Arabi and the military party are practically 
masters here. Tewfik has been obliged to make concession 
after concession to them, to dismiss ministers at their orders, 
and to submit to a series of humiliations. At any moment 
Arabi could dethrone him, as he has the whole army at his 
back, and certainly the larger portion of the population. 
The revolution could be completed without trouble or blood- 


DISIITHEEITED 


11 


shed, but you see it is complicated by the fact that Tewfik 
has the support of the English and French governments; 
and there can be little doubt that the populace regard the 
movement as a national one, and directed as much against 
foreign control and interference as against Tewfik, against 
whom they have no ground of complaint whatever. On the 
part of the army and its generals, the trouble has arisen solely 
on account of the favouritism shown to Circassian ofiicers. 

“ But once a revolution has commenced it is certain to 
widen out. The peasantry are everywhere fanatically hostile 
to foreigners. Attacks have been made upon these in vari- 
ous country districts, and should Arabi be triumphant the 
position of Christians will become very precarious. Matters 
are evidently seen in that light in England, for I heard to-day 
at the office that the British and French squadrons are 
expected here in a day or two. If there should be a row, our 
position here will be very unpleasant. But I should hardly 
think that Arabi would venture to try his strength against 
that of the fleets, and I fancy that trouble will in the first 
place begin in Cairo, both as being the capital of the country 
and beyond the reach of armed interference by the Powers. 
Arabics natural course would be to consolidate his power 
throughout the whole of Egypt, leaving Alexandria severely 
alone until he had obtained absolute authority elsewhere. 

“ Anyhow it will be a satisfaction to have the fleet up, as 
at the first rumour of an outbreak I can get you and baby on 
board one of the ships lying in harbour. As a simple measure 
of precaution, I would suggest that you should go out with 
me this evening and buy one of the costumes worn by the 
native women; it is only a long blue robe enveloping you 
from head to foot, and one of those hideous white cotton 
veils falling from below the eyes. I will get a bottle of 
iodine, and you will then only have to darken your forehead 
and eyelids, and you could pass unsuspected through any 
crowd.” 

But what are you going to do, Gregory ? ” 


12 


WITH KITCHENEE IN’ THE SOUDAN 


I will get a native dress too ; but you must remember that 
though, if possible, I will come to you, I may not be able to 
do so ; and in case you hear of any tumult going on, you must 
take baby and go down at once to the port. You know 
enough of the language now to be able to tell a boatman to 
take you off to one of the steamers in the port. As soon as I 
get away I shall go round the port, and shall find you without 
difficulty. Still, I do not anticipate any trouble arising with- 
out our having sufficient warning to allow me to come and 
see you settled on board ship, and I can then keep on in the 
office until it closes, when I can join you again. Of course, 
all this is very remote, and I trust that the occasion will 
never arise ; still, there is no doubt that the situation is crit- 
ical, and there is no harm in making our preparations for 
the worst. 

At any rate, dear, I beg that you will not go out alone till 
matters have settled down. We will do the shopping together 
when I come back from the office. There is one thing that 
I have reason to be grateful for. Even if the worst comes 
to the worst and all Christians have to leave the country, the 
object for which I came out here has been attained. I have 
not heard you cough for months, we have laid by fifty pounds, 
and I have written some forty stories, long and short, and if 
we go back I have a fair hope of making my way, for I am 
sure that I write better than I used to do ; and as a good many 
of the stories are laid in Egypt the local colouring will give 
them a distinctive character, and they are more likely to be 
accepted than those I wrote before. Editors of magazines 
like a succession of tales of that kind. 

For the present there is no doubt that the arrival of the 
fleet will render our position here more comfortable than it 
is at present; the mere mob of the town would hesitate to 
attack Europeans when they know that three or four thou- 
sand sailors could land in half an hour. But on the other 
hand, Arabi and his generals might see that Alexandria was, 
after all, the most important position, and that it was here 


DISINHERITED 


13 


foreign interference must be arrested. I should not be sur- 
prised if, on the arrival of the ships, Tewfik, Arabi, and all 
the leaders of the movement come here at once. Tewfik will 
come to get the support of the fleet, Arabi will come to op- 
pose a landing of troops. The war in the beginning of the 
century was decided at Alexandria, and it may be so again. 
If I were sure that you would come to no harm, and I think 
the chances of that are very small, I own that all this would 
be immensely interesting, and a break to the monotony of 
one’s life here. One thing is fairly certain. If there is any- 
thing like a regular row all commercial work will come to 
an end until matters are settled, in which case, even if the 
offices are not altogether closed and the whole staff recalled 
to England, they would be glad enough to allow me to leave 
instead of keeping me to the two years’ agreement that I 
signed before starting.” 

“ I should hardly think that there would be a tumult here, 
Gregory ; the natives all seem very gentle and peaceable, and 
the army is composed of the same sort of men.” 

“ They have been kept down for centuries, Annie ; but there 
is a deep fanatical feeling in every Mussulman’s nature, and 
at any rate the great proportion of the officers of the army 
are Mussulmans. As for the Kopts, there would be no dan- 
ger of trouble from them ; but the cry of death to the Chris- 
tians would excite every Mahomedan in the land almost to 
madness. Unfortunately, too, there is a general belief, 
whether truly founded or not, that although the French 
representative here is apparently acting in concert with ours, 
he and all the French officials are secretly encouraging Arabi, 
and will take no active steps whatever. In that case it is 
doubtful whether England would act alone. The jealousy 
between the two peoples here is intense. For years the 
French have been thwarting us at every turn; and they may 
very well think that, however matters might finally go, our 
interference would make us so unpopular in Egypt that their 
influence would become completely paramount. 


14 


WITS KITCHESES IN' TSE SOSSAS 


“ Supremacy in Egypt has always been the dream of the 
French. Had it not been for our command of the sea they 
would have obtained possession of the country in Napoleon’s 
time. Their intrigues here have for years been incessant; 
their newspapers in Egypt have continually maligned us, and 
they believe that the time has come when they will be the 
real, if not the nominal, rulers of Egypt. The making of the 
Suez Canal was quite as much a political as a commercial 
move, and it has certainly added largely to their influence 
here; though in this respect a check was given to them by 
the purchase of the Khedive’s shares in the canal by Lord 
Beaconsfield, a stroke which, however, greatly increased the 
enmity of the French here and heightened their efforts to 
excite the animosity of the people against us. Well, I hope 
that whatever comes of all this, the question as to whose 
influence is to be paramount in Egypt will be Anally settled. 
Even French domination would be better than the constant 
intrigues and trouble that keep the land in a state of agita- 
tion. However, I fancy that it will be the other way if an 
English fleet comes here and there is trouble. I don’t think 
we shall back down, and if we begin in earnest we are sure 
to win in the long run. France must see that, and if she 
refuses to act at the last moment it can only be because Arabi 
has it in his power to produce documents showing that he 
was all along acting in accordance with her secret advice.” 

A week later, on the 20th of May, the squadrons of Eng- 
land and France anchored off Alexandria. The British fleet 
consisted of eight ironclads and five gun-boats, carrying three 
thousand five hundred and thirty-nine men and one hundred 
and two guns, commanded by Sir Frederick Seymour. Two 
days before the approach of the fleet was known at Cairo, 
the French and English consuls proposed that the Khedive 
should issue a decree declaring a general amnesty, and that 
the president of the council, the minister of war, and the 
three military pashas should quit the country for a year. 
This request was complied with. 


disinherited 


15 


The ministry resigned in a body on the day the fleet ar- 
rived, on the ground that the Khedive acquiesced in foreign 
interference. A great meeting was held of the chief person- 
ages of state, and the officers and the representatives of the 
army at once told the Khedive that they refused to obey his 
orders and only recognized the authority of the Porte. 

At Alexandria all trade ceased at once when it became 
known that the troops were busy strengthening the forts, 
mounting cannon, and preparing for a resistance. That 
this was done by the orders of Arabi, who was now 
practically dictator, there could be no question. The native 
population became more and more excited, being firmly of 
belief that no vessels could resist the fire of the heavy guns, 
and that any attempt on the part of the men-of-war to reduce 
the place would end in their being sunk as soon as fighting 
began. The office and stores were still kept open, but Greg- 
ory’s duties were almost nominal, and he and Mr. Parrot, 
who was also married, were told by the manager that they 
could spend the greater portion of their time at their homes. 
Part of Gregory’s duties consisted in going off to vessels that 
came into the port with goods for the firm, and seeing to 
their being brought on shore, and he had no difficulty in 
making arrangements with the captain of one of these ships 
for his wife and child to go on board at once should there 
be any trouble in the town. 

^^If you hear any sounds of tumult, Annie, you must 
disguise yourself at once and go down to the wharf. I have 
arranged with our boatman, Allen, whom you know well, as 
we have often gone out with him for a sail in the evening, 
that if he hears of an outbreak he shall bring the boat to the 
steps at the end of this street and take you off to the Simoon. 
Of course I shall come if I can, but our house is one of those 
which have been marked off as being most suitable for de- 
fence. The men from half a dozen other establishments are 
to gather there, and, as belonging to the house, I must aid 
in the defence. Of course, if I get sufficient warning I shall 


16 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOHDAN 


slip on my disguise and hurry here and see you down to the 
boat, and then make my way back to our place. But do not 
wait for me. If I come here and find that you have gone, I 
shall know that you have taken the alarm in time, and shall 
return at once to the ofiice. Of course, if the outbreak 
commences near here, and you find that your way down to the 
water is blocked, you will simply put on your disguise, stain 
your face, and wait till I come to you, or till you see that the 
way to the water is clear. 

Do not attempt to go out into a mob ; there are not likely 
to be any women among them. However, I do not anticipate 
a serious riot. They may attack Europeans in the street, 
but with some fourteen or fifteen men-of-war in the port 
they are not likely to make any organized assault; Arabi’s 
agents will hardly precipitate matters in that way. Hard 
as they may work, it will take a month to get the defences 
into proper order, and any rising will be merely a spasmodic 
outbreak of fanaticism. I don’t think the danger is likely 
to be pressing until, finding that all remonstrances are vain, 
the admiral begins to bombard the port.” 

will do exactly as you tell me, Gregory. If I were 
aldhe I could not bring myself to leave without you, but 
I must think of the child.” 

“ Quite so, dear ; that is the first consideration. Certainly 
if it comes to a fight I should be much more comfortable with 
the knowledge that you and baby were in safety.” 

The Egyptian soldiers were quartered for the most part 
outside the town, and for some days there was danger that 
they would enter and attack the European inhabitants; but 
Arabi’s orders were strict, that until he gave the command 
they were to remain quiet. The British admiral sent mes- 
sages to Tewfik insisting that the work upon the fortifica- 
tions should cease, and the latter again issued orders to that 
effect, but these were wholly disobeyed. He had indeed no 
shadow of authority remaining, and the work continued 
night and day. It was, however, as much as possible con- 


DISINHERITED 


17 


cealed from observation, but search-ligKts being suddenly 
turned upon the forts at night, showed them to be swarming 
with men. Things went on with comparative quiet till the 
10th of June, although the attitude of the natives was so 
threatening that no Europeans left their houses except on 
urgent business. 

On that day a sudden uproar was heard, pistols were fired, 
and the merchants closed their stores and barricaded their 
doors. Gregory was in the harbour at the time, and, jump- 
ing into his boat, rowed to the stairs and hurried home. He 
found that his wife had already disguised herself, and was in 
readiness to leave. The street was full of excited people. 
He slipped on his own disguise, darkened his face, and then, 
seizing a moment when the crowd had rushed up the street 
at the sound of firearms at the other end, hurried down to 
the boat and rowed ofi to the Simoon. 

“ I must return now, dear,” he said. “ I can get in at the 
back gate — I have the key, as the stores are brought in 
through that way. I do not think that you need feel any 
uneasiness. The row is evidently still going on, but only a 
few guns are being fired now. Certainly the rascals cannot 
be attacking the stores, or you would hear a steady musketry 
fire ; by the sound, the riot is principally in the foreign quar- 
ter, where the Maltese, Greeks, and Italians congregate. Ho 
doubt the police will soon put it down.” 

The police, however, made no attempt to do so, and per- 
mitted the work of massacre to take place under their eyes. 
Nearly two hundred Europeans were killed. The majprity 
of these dwelt in the foreign quarter, but several merchants 
and others were set upon while making their way to their 
offices, and some seamen from the fleet were also among the 
victims. The British consul was dragged out of his carriage 
and severely injured; the consulate was attacked, and several 
Frenchmen were killed in the streets. 

The Khedive hurried from Cairo on hearing the news. 
Arabi was now sending some of his best regiments to Alex- 


18 WITH KITCHEHEE IN’ THE SOHDAN 

andria, while pretending to be preparing for a raid upon the 
Suez Canal. He was receiving the assistance of Dervish 
Pasha, the Sultan’s representative, and had been recognized 
by the Sultan, who conferred upon him the highest order of 
Medjidie. In the meantime a conference had been held by 
the Powers, and it was decided that the Sultan should be 
entrusted with the work of putting down the insurrection, he 
being nominally lord paramount of Egypt. But conditions 
were laid down as to his army leaving the country afterwards. 
The Sultan sent an evasive reply. The Khedive was too 
overwhelmed at the situation to take any decisive course. 
France hesitated, and England determined that, with or with- 
out allies, she would take the matter in hand. 


CHAPTEE II 

THE RISING IN ALEXANDRIA 

^"^HE harbour was full of merchant-ships, as there were at 
present no means of getting their cargoes unloaded. 
The native boatmen had for the most part struck work, and 
had they been willing to man their boats they must have 
remained idle, as, in view of the situation, the merchants 
felt that their goods were much safer on board ship than they 
would be in their magazines. It was settled, therefore, that 
for the present Annie and the child should remain on board 
the Simoon, while Gregory should take up his residence at 
the office. 

The fleet in the harbour was now an imposing one. Hot 
only were the English and French squadrons there, but some 
Italian ships of war had arrived, and a United States cruiser; 
and on the 7th of July Sir Beauchamp Seymour sent in a 
decisive message that he should commence a bombardment of 
the fort unless the strengthening of the fortifications was at 


THE KISING IN ALEXANDKIA 


19 


once abandoned. N^o heed was taken of the intimation, and 
three days later he sent an ultimatum demanding the cessa- 
tion of work and the immediate surrender of the forts nearest 
to the entrance to the harbour, stating that if these terms 
were not complied with in twenty-four hours, the bombard- 
ment would commence. Already the greater part of the 
European inhabitants had left the town and taken up their 
quarters in the merchant-ships that had been engaged for the 
purpose. A few, however, of the bankers and merchants 
determined to remain. These gathered in the bank and in 
Mr. Eerguson’s house, to which the most valuable goods in 
other establishments were removed. They had an ample 
supply of firearms, and believed that they could hold out for 
a considerable time. They were convinced that the Egyptian 
troops would not for an hour resist the fire that would be 
opened upon them, but would speedily evacuate the town, 
and that, therefore, there would only be the mob to be en- 
countered, and this but for a short time, as the sailors would 
land as soon as the Egyptian troops fled. 

The Egyptians, on the other hand, believed absolutely in 
their ability to destroy the fleet. Both parties were wrong. 
The Europeans greatly undervalued the fighting powers of 
the Egyptians, animated as they were by confidence in the 
strength of the defences, by their number, and by their fanat- 
icism; while the Egyptians similarly undervalued the tre- 
mendous power of our ships. That evening and the next 
morning the port presented an animated appearance. Boats 
were putting off with those inhabitants who had waited on, 
hoping that the Egyptians would at the last moment give in ; 
many of the merchantmen had already cleared out, others 
were getting up sail; smoke was rising from the funnels of 
all the men-of-war. An express boat had ' brought from 
France orders that the French fleet were to take no part in 
the proceedings, but were to proceed at once to Port Said. 

This order excited the bitterest feeling of anger and humil- 
iation among the French officers and sailors, who had relied 


20 


WITH KITCHEHEE IH THE SOHDAH 


confidently in taking their part in the bombardment, and 
silently their ships one by one left the port. The Italian and 
American vessels remained for a time, and as the British 
ships followed in stately order, their crews manned the rig- 
ging and vociferously cheered our sailors, who replied as 
heartily. All, save the British men-of-war, took up their 
stations well out at sea, in a direction where they would be 
out of the fire of the Egyptian batteries. It was not until 
nine o’clock in the evening that the two last British ships, 
the Invincible and Monarchy steamed out of port. At half- 
past four in the morning the ships got under weigh again, 
and moved to the positions marked out for them. Fort Mex 
and the batteries on the sand-hills were faced by the PenelopCy 
the Monarchy and the Invincible; the Alexandray the Superb, 
and the Sultan faced the harbour forts, Ada, Pharos, and 
Eas-el-Teen; the Temeraire and Inflexible prepared to aid 
the Invincible in her attack on Fort Mex, or to support the 
three battle-ships engaged off the port, as might be required, 
and the five gun-boats moved away towards Fort Marabout, 
which lay some distance to the west of the town. 

At seven o’clock the Alexandra began the engagement by 
firing a single gun, then the whole fleet opened fire, the Egyp- 
tian artillerymen replying with great steadiness and^ resolu- 
tion. There was scarcely a breath of wind, and the ships 
were in a few instants shrouded in their own smoke, and were 
frequently obliged to cease firing until this drifted slowly 
away, to enable them to aim their guns. The rattle of the 
machine-guns added to the din. Midshipmen were sent aloft, 
and these signalled down to the deck the result of each shot, 
so that the gunners were enabled to direct their fire even 
when they could not see ten yards beyond the muzzle of the 
guns. In a short time the forts and batteries showed how 
terrible was the effect of the great shells. The embrasures 
were torn and widened ; there were great gaps in the masonry 
of the buildings, and the hail of missiles from the machine- 
guns swept every spot near the Egyptian guns; and yet 


THE EISIHG IN ALEXANDEIA 21 

Arabics soldiers did not flinch, but, in spite of the number 
that fell, worked their guns as fast as ever. 

Had they been accustomed to the huge Krupp guns in their 
batteries, the combat would have been more equal; and 
although the end would have been the same, the ships must 
have suffered terribly. Fortunately the Egyptian artillery- 
men had little experience in the working of these heavy 
pieces, and their shot in almost every case flew high — some- 
times above the masts, sometimes between them, but in only 
a few instances striking the hull. With their smaller guns 
they made good practice, but though the shot from these 
pieces frequently struck, they dropped harmlessly from the 
iron sides, and only those that entered through the port- 
holes effected any damage. The Condor, under Lord Charles 
Beresford, was the first to engage Fort Marabout, and for 
a time the little gun-boat was the mark of all the guns of 
the fort. But the other four gun-boats speedily came to her 
assistance, and effectually diverted the fire of the fort from 
the ships that were engaging Fort Mex. 

At eight o’clock the Monarch, having silenced the fort 
opposite to her and dismounted the guns, joined the Inflexible 
and Penelope in their duel with Fort Mex, and by nine 
o’clock all the guns were silenced except four, two of which 
were heavy rifled guns well sheltered. In spite of the heavy 
fire from the three great ships the Egyptian soldiers main- 
tained their fire, the officers frequently exposing themselves 
to the bullets of the machine-guns by leaping upon the para- 
i pet to ascertain the effect of their own shot. The harbour 
forts were by this time crumbling under the shot of four 
I warships opposed to them; the Pharos suffered most heavily 
[ and its guns were absolutely silenced, while the fire from the 
[ other two forts slackened considerably. At half -past ten it 
I was seen that the Bas-el-Teen Palace, which lay behind the 

I fort, was on fire, and half an hour later the fire from that 

fort and Fort Ada almost died out. 

The British Admiral now gave the signal to cease firing, 


22 


WITH KITCHEHEE IN THE SOUDAN 


and as the smoke cleared away, the effects of the five hours’ 
bombardment were visible. The forts and batteries were 
mere heaps of ruins, the guns could be made out lying dis- 
mounted, or standing with their muzzles pointing upwards. 
The ships had not come out scatheless, but their injuries 
were for the most part immaterial, although rigging had 
been cut away, bulwarks smashed, and sides dinted. One gun 
of the Penelope had been disabled and two of the Alexandra. 
Only five men had been killed altogether and twenty-seven 
wounded. 

^^o sign was made of surrender, and an occasional fire was 
kept up on the forts to prevent the Egyptians from repairing 
damages. At one o’clock twelve volunteers from the In- 
vincible started to destroy the guns of Fort Mex. Their fire 
had ceased and no men were to be seen in the fort, but they 
might have been lying in wait to attack any landing-party. 
On nearing the shore the surf was found to be too heavy for 
the boat to pass through it, and Major Tulloch and six men 
swam , ashore and entered the fort. It was found to be de- 
Se?fed, and all the guns but two ten-inch pieces dismounted. 
The charges of gun-cotton that the swimmers brought ashore 
with them were placed in the cannon and their muzzles blown 
off. After performing this very gallant service the little 
party swam back to their boat. The British admiral’s posi- 
tion was now a difficult one. There were no signs of sur- 
render; for aught he could tell, fifteen thousand Egyptian 
troops might be lying round the ruined forts or in the town 
hard by, in readiness to oppose a landing. That these troops 
were not to be despised was evident by the gallantry with 
which they had fought their guns. This force would be aided 
by the mass of the population, and it would be hazard- 
ous indeed to risk the loss of fifteen hundred men, and the 
reversal of the success already gained. At the same time it 
was painful to think that the Europeans on shore might be 
massacred and the whole city destroyed by the exasperated 
troops and fanatical population. 




IN ALEXANDRIA 

It was the number of Englishmen there 

not large, two or three hundred at most; but there was a' 
much larger number of the lower class of Europeans — poi^hi^- 
labourers, fishermen, petty shopkeepers, and others, — who had^’ 
preferred taking their chance to the certainty of losing all 
their little possessions if they left them. Anxiously the 
glasses of those on board the ships were directed towards the 
shore in hopes of seeing the white flag hoisted, or a boat 
come out with it flying ; but there were no signs of the inten- 


tions of the defenders, and the fleet prepared to resume the 
action in the morning. Fort Marabout and several of the 
batteries on the shore were still unsilenced, and two heavy 
guns mounted on the Moncrieff system (by which the gun 
rose to a level of the parapet, fired, and instantly sank again) 
had continued to fire all day in spite of the efforts of the fleet 
to silence them. Next morning, however, there was a long 
heavy swell, and the iron-clads were rolling too heavily for 
anything like accuracy of aim; but as parties of men could 
be seen at work in the Moncrieff battery, fire was opened 
upon them and they speedily evacuated it. 

All night the Palace of Eas-el-Teen burned fiercely, an- 
other great fire was raging in the heart of the town, and 
anxiety for those on shore for the time overpowered the feel- 
ing of exultation at the victory that had been gained. At 
half-past ten a white flag was hoisted at the Pharos battery, 
and all on board watched with deep anxiety what was to fol- 
low. Lieutenant Lambton at once steamed into the fort in 
the Bittern to enquire if the government were ready to 
surrender. It was three o’clock before he steamed out again 
with the news that his mission was fruitless, and that the 
white flag had only been hoisted by the officer in command of 
the fort to enable himself and his men to get away unmo- 
lested. Lieutenant Lambton had obtained an interview with 
the military governor on behalf of the government, and told 
him that we were not at war with Egypt, and had simply 
destroyed the forts because they threatened the fleet, that we 


24 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


had no conditions to impose upon the government, but were 
ready to discuss any proposal, and that the troops would be 
allowed to evacuate the forts with the honour of war. 

It was most unfortunate that the fleet had not brought 
with them two or three thousand troops. Had they done so 
they could have landed at once and saved a great portion of 
the town from destruction; but as he had no soldiers the 
admiral could not land a portion of the sailors, as the large 
Egyptian force in the town, which was still protected by 
a number of land batteries, might fall upon them. At five 
o’clock the Helicon was sent in to say that white flags would 
not be noticed unless hoisted by authority, and if they were 
again shown the British admiral would consider them the 
signs of a general surrender. It was a long time before the 
Helicon returned with news that no communication had been 
received from the enemy, that the barracks and arsenals 
seemed to be deserted, and as far as could be seen the whole 
town was evacuated. As evening wore on, fresh fires broke 
out in all parts of the town, and a steam pinnace was sent 
ashore to ascertain, if possible, the state of affairs. Mr. 
Ross, a contractor for the supply of meat to the fleet, volun- 
teered to accompany it. 

The harbour was dark and deserted, not a light was to be 
seen in the houses near the water ; the crackling of the flames 
could be heard, with an occasional crash of falling walls and 
roofs. On nearing the landing-place the pinnace paused for 
two or three minutes for those on board to listen, and as all 
was quiet, steamed alongside. Mr. Ross jumped ashore, and 
the boat backed off a few yards. A quarter of an hour later 
he returned. That quarter of the town was entirely deserted, 
and he had pushed on until arrested by a barrier of flames. 
The great square was on fire from end to end, the European 
quarter generally was in flames, and he could see, by the litter 
that strewed the streets, that the houses had been plundered 
before being fired. When daylight broke, a number of Euro- 
peans could be seen at the edge of the water in the harbour. 


THE KISING IN ALEXANDRIA 


25 


Boats were at once lowered, and the crews, armed to the teeth, 
rowed ashore. Here they found about a hundred Europeans, 
many of them wounded. When rioting had broken out they 
had, as arranged, assembled at the Anglo-Egyptian Bank. 
They were taken off to the merchant steamers lying behind 
the fleet, and their information confirmed the worst fore- 
bodings of the fugitives there. 

When the first gun of the bombardment was fired, Gregory 
had gone up with the other employees to the top of the house, 
where they commanded a view over the whole scene of action. 
After the first few minutes’ firing they could see but little, 
for batteries and ships were alike shrouded in smoke. At 
first there had been some feeling of insecurity and a doubt 
whether a shot too highly aimed might not come into the 
town, but the orders to abstain carefully from injuring the 
city had been well observed, and, except to the Palace and a 
few houses close to the water’s edge, no damage was done. 
Towards evening all those who had resolved to remain behind 
gathered at the Anglo-Egyptian Bank or at Mr. Ferguson’s. 
But a consultation was held later, and it was agreed that next 
morning all should go to the bank, which was a far more 
massive building, with fewer entrances, and greater facilities 
for defence. When the town was quiet, therefore, all were 
employed in transferring valuable goods there, and the house 
was then locked up and left to its fate. Against a mere 
rising of the rabble the latter might have been successfully 
defended, but there was little doubt that before leaving the 
town the troops would join the fanatics, and in that case a 
li house not built with a special eye for defence could hardly 
d hope to hold out against persistent attack. 

The bank, however, might hope to make a stout defence. 
It was built of massive stone, the lower windows were barred, 
and a strong barricade was built against the massive doors. 
A hundred and twenty resolute men, all well armed, could 
hold it against even a persistent attack if unsupported by 
artillery. Early in the afternoon all felt that the critical 


/Vf. ^ 


26 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAH 


moment had approached. Throughout the night a fire had 
raged from the opposite side of the great square, where sev- 
eral deserted houses had been broken into and plundered by 
the mob; but the soldiers stationed in the square had pre- 
vented any further disorder. iNow, however, parties of troops 
from the forts began to pour in. It was already known that 
their losses had been very heavy and that many of the forts 
had been destroyed. Soon they broke up, and, joining the 
mob, commenced the work of pillage. Doors were blown in, 
shutters torn off, and with wild yells and shouts the native 
population poured in. The work of destruction had begun. 

The garrison of the bank saw many Europeans, hurrying, 
too late to reach that shelter, murdered before their eyes. In 
the Levantine quarter the cracking of pistols and the shouts 
of men showed that the work of massacre was proceeding 
there. Soon every door of the houses in the great square was 
forced in, and ere long great numbers of men, loaded with 
spoil of all kinds, staggered out. So far the bank had been 
left alone ; but it was now its turn, and the mob poured down 
upon it. As they came up, a sharp fire broke out from every 
window, answered by a discharge of muskets and pistols from 
the crowd. Here men fell fast, but they had been worked up 
to such a pitch of excitement and fanaticism that the gaps 
were more than filled by fresh comers. All the afternoon and 
evening the fight continued. In vain the mob endeavoured 
to break down the massive iron bars of the windows and 
batter in the doors. Although many of the defenders were 
wounded, and several killed, by the fire from the windows of 
the neighbouring houses and from the road, their steady fire 
at the points most hotly attacked drove their assailants back 
again and again. 

At twelve o’clock the assault slackened, the soldiers had 
long left, and, so far as could be seen from the roof of the 
house, had entirely evacuated the town; and as this fact 
became known to the mob, the thought of the consequences 
of their action cooled their fury, for they knew that probably 


THE RISING IN ALEXANDRIA 


27 


the troops would land from the British ships next day. Each 
man had his plunder to secure, and gradually the crowd 
melted away. By two o^clock all was quiet; and although 
occasionally fresh fires burst out in various quarters of the 
town, there could be little doubt that the great bulk of the 
population had followed the example of the army, and had 
left the city. Then the besieged gathered in the great ofiice 
on the ground floor, and as it was agreed that there would be 
probably no renewal of the attack, they quietly left the house, 
locking the doors after them, and made their way down to 
the shore. They believed that they were the only survivors, 
but when they reached the end of the town they found that 
the building of the Credit Lyonnais had also been success- 
fully defended, though the Ottoman Bank had been over- 
powered, and all within it, upwards of a hundred in number, 
killed. 

Gregory had done his full share in the defence, and received 
a musket-ball in the shoulder. His wife had passed a terrible 
time while the conflagration was raging, and it was evident 
that the populace had risen and were undoubtedly murdering 
as well as burning and plundering, and her delight was indeed 
great when she saw her husband with others approaching in a 
man-of-war’s boat. The fact that one arm was in a sling was 
scarcely noticed in her joy at his return alive. 

“ Thank God, you are safe ! ” she said, as he came up the 
gangway. “ It has been an awful time, and I had almost 
given up hope of ever seeing you alive again.” 

I told you, dear, that I felt confident we could beat off 
the scum of the town. Of course it was a sharp fight, but 
there was never any real danger of their breaking in. We 
only lost about half a dozen out of nearly a hundred and 
twenty, and some twenty of us were wounded. My injury is 
not at all serious, and I shall soon be all right again ; it is 
only a broken collar-bone. However, it has been a terrible 
time. The great square and almost all the European quarter 
have been entirely destroyed. The destruction of property 


28 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


is something frightful, and most of the merchants will be 
absolutely ruined. Fortunately, our firm were insured pretty 
well up to the full value.” 

“ But I thought that they could not break in there ? ” 

“We all moved out the evening before to the Anglo-Egyp- 
tian Bank. The town was full of troops, and we doubted 
whether we could hold the place. As the bank was much 
stronger we agreed that it was better to join the two garrisons 
and fight it out there; and I am very glad we did so, for I 
doubt whether we could have defended our place success- 
fully.” 

Mr. Ferguson and the clerks had all come off with Gregory 
to the Simoon, on board which there was plenty of accom- 
modation for them, as it was not one of the ships that had 
been taken up for the accommodation of the fugitives. 
Among the party who came on board was a doctor who had 
taken part in the defence of the bank, and had attended to 
the wounded as the fight went on. He did so again that even- 
ing, and told Gregory that in a month he would, if he took 
care of himself, be able to use his arm again. The next 
morning there was a consultation in the cabin. Mr. Fergu- 
son had gone on shore late the previous afternoon, as five 
hundred sailors had been landed, and had returned in the 
evening. 

“ It is certain,” he said, “ that nothing can be done until 
the place is rebuilt. The sailors are busy at work fighting 
the fire, but there are continued fresh outbreaks. The bulk 
of the natives have left, but Arabi, before marching out, 
opened the prisons and released the convicts, and these and 
the scum of the town are still there, and continue the destruc- 
tion whenever they get a chance. A score or two have been 
caught red-handed and shot down, and a number of others 
have been flogged. Another, batch of sailors will land this 
morning, and order will soon be restored, unless Arabi, who 
is encamped with some ten thousand men two miles outside 
the town, makes an effort to recover the place. I donT think 


THE RISING IN ALEXANDRIA 


29 


he is likely to do so, for now that the European houses have 
all been destroyed, there would be no longer any reluctance 
to bombard the town itself, and even if Arabi did recover it, 
he would very soon be shelled out. 

“ By the way, a larger number of people have been saved 
than was imagined. Several of the streets in the poor Euro- 
pean quarters have escaped. The people barricaded the ends, 
and fought so desperately that their assailants drew off, find- 
ing it easier to plunder the better quarters. Even if the 
mob had overcome the resistance of the defenders of the lanes, 
they would have found little worth taking there, so some five 
hundred Europeans have escaped, and these will be very use- 
ful. Charley Beresford has charge of the police arrange- 
ments on shore, and he has gangs of them at work fighting 
the fire, and all the natives are forced to assist. The wires 
will be restored in a day or two, when I shall, of course, 
telegraph for instructions, and have no doubt that Mr. Par- 
tridge will send out orders to rebuild as soon as order is 
completely restored. I imagine that most of us will he re- 
called home until that is done. Even if the place were intact 
no business would be done, as our goods would be of little use 
to the navy or army, for no doubt an army will be sent. 
Arabi is as powerful as ever, but now that we have taken the 
matter in hand it must be carried through. At any rate there 
will be no clerks’ work to be done here. The plans for a new 
building will naturally be prepared at home, and a foreman 
of works sent out. It is a bad job for us all, but as it is we 
must not complain, for we have escaped with our lives, and 
I hope that in six months we may open again. However, we 
can form no plans until I receive instructions from home.” 

Gregory did not go ashore for the next week, by which time 
order had been completely restored, the fires extinguished, 
and the streets made at least passable. The sailors had been 
aided by a battalion of marines, which had been telegraphed 
for from Malta by the admiral before the bombardment be- 
gan. The Khedive had returned to Kas-el-Teen, which had 


30 


WITH KITCHEN^EK IlST THE SOUDAH 


only been partly destroyed, as soon as the blue-jackets 
entered. His arrival put an end to all difficulties, as hence- 
forward our operations were carried on nominally by his 
orders. The American ships entered the harbour the next 
day, and the naval officer in command landed one hundred 
and twenty-five men to assist our blue-jackets, and two days 
later the 38th Kegiment and a battalion of the 60th Rifles 
arrived. 

The shops in the streets that escaped destruction gradually 
reopened, and country people began to bring in supplies. 
Many of the refugees on board the ships sailed for home, 
while those who found their houses still standing, although 
everything in them was smashed and destroyed, set to work 
to make them habitable. Soon temporary sheds were erected^ 
and such portions of the cargoes on board the merchantmen 
as would be likely to find a sale were landed. 

Before the end of the week Mr. Ferguson had received an 
answer to his telegram. Three days previously he had re- 
ceived a wire : “ Have written fully.” The letter came via 
Marseilles. After congratulations at the escape of himself 
and the staff, Mr. Partridge wrote : “ As you say that the 
house and warehouse are entirely destroyed, with all contents, 
there can be nothing for you and the clerks to do, and you 
had best return at once to England. I will make the best 
arrangements that I can for you all. 

As I have a plan of the ground, I have already instructed 
an architect to prepare a sketch for rebuilding on a larger 
scale than before. The insurance companies are sending out 
agents to verify claims. Looking at your last report, it 
seems to me that the loss of goods as well as that of build- 
ings will be fully covered. Should any of the staff determine 
to remain in Alexandria, and to take their chance of finding 
something to do, you are authorized to pay them three 
months’ salary, and to promise to reinstate them as soon as 
we reopen. I anticipate no further disturbances whatever. 
A strong force is being sent out, and there can be no doubt 


THE BISING IN ALEXANDEIA 31 

that Arabi will be crushed as soon as it is ready to take the 
field.” 

Other directions followed, but these were only amplifica- 
tions of those mentioned. 

“ What do you think, Annie ? ” Gregory said, when Fergu- 
son had read to his staff that portion of the letter that con- 
cerned them. “ Shall we take the three months’ pay and 
remain here, or shall we go back to England ? ” 

“ What do you think yourself ? ” 

“ There are two lights in which to look at it, Annie: first, 
which would be best for us ? and secondly, which shall we like 
best ? Of course the first is the more difficult point to decide. 
You see. Partridge doesn’t say that we shall be kept on; he 
only says that he will do his best for us. I don’t think that 
there is any chance of his keeping us on at full pay. If he 
intended to do so, it would have been cheaper for him to give 
us our pay here, in which case he would save our passages 
back to England and out again. I think we could not reckon 
on getting anything like full pay while we were in England ; 
and you know I have lost faith in my literary powers. I 
think I have improved, but I certainly should not like, after 
our last experience, to trust to that for keeping us in Eng- 
land. The question is, what should I do here? There will 
be plenty of openings for men who cans speak the native lan- 
guage as labour overseers. The contractors for food for the 
army will want men of that sort, and as I know several of 
them, through my work in the port and being in Partridge’s 
house, I have no doubt I could get employment that way, and 
carry on very well till trade is open again, and obtain then a 
good deal better berth than they would offer me. 

“Ho doubt one could get employment in the transport or 
commissariat of the army when it comes out. That will be 
a thing to think seriously of. My objections to that are perr 
sonal ones. In the first place, it would lead to nothing when 
the affair is over; in the second place, I should be certain to 
meet men I knew a|; Harrow or at the University, or since 


32 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


then, and I own that I should shrink from that. As Gregory 
Hilliard I don’t mind carrying a parcel or helping to load a 
dray, but I should not like, as Gregory Hartley, to be known 
to be doing that sort of thing. Personally I feel not the 
smallest humiliation in doing so, but I don’t think it would 
be fair to Geoffrey. I should not like it myself, if I were 
an earl, for fellows who knew him to be able to say that my 
brother was knocking about in Egypt as an interpreter or 
mule-driver, or something of that sort. That certainly has 
to be taken into consideration. It is not likely that I should 
get any sort of berth that an officer would be appointed to, 
for every officer in the army whose regiment is not coming 
out here will be rushing to the War Office to apply for any 
sort of appointment that would enable him to come out to 
the war. 

“ Again, it is almost certain that when this business is over 
— and I don’t suppose it will last long after we get an army 
out here — a fresh Egyptian force will be raised. You may 
be sure that the greater portion of our troops will be hurried 
back as soon as it is over, and that as the present Egyptian 
army will be altogether smashed up, it will be absolutely 
necessary that there should be a force of some kind or other 
that can put a stop to this Mahdi fellow’s doings. He has 
overrun half the Soudan, and infficted serious defeats on the 
Egyptian troops there. He has captured a considerable por- 
tion of Kordofan; and of course it is owing to his insurrec- 
tion that those rows have occurred down at the Red Sea, 
where our men have been fighting. It is likely enough that 
they may appoint some British officers to the new force, and 
I might get a fair position on it. They will want interpreters 
there; promotion will be sure to be rapid, and I might have 
opportunities of distinguishing myself and get an appoint- 
ment where I could, without discrediting it, take my own 
name again. 

These are only among the things that might be ; but at 
the worst I am certain to get some sort of post at Alexandria, 


THE HISING IN’ ALEXANDRIA 


33 


which would enable us to live without trenching upon the 
three months’ pay that is offered me; and then, if I could 
see nothing better, I could return to Partridge’s employment 
when they reopen here, and I have no doubt that they would 
improve my position. I don’t think that Parrott is likely to 
come back again; the climate did not suit him, and he is 
always having attacks of fever. Ferguson has, I know, for 
he told me so, reported very favourably about my work to 
head-quarters, and as I have been wounded in defence of the 
house I have an additional claim. The others will, of course, 
be moved up, and I should get the junior clerkship — no 
advance in the way of remuneration, but a great improve- 
ment in position. So I think we had better accept the three 
months’ pay and take our chances. 

“ At any rate there will be no fear of another disturbance 
at Alexandria; the mob have had a lesson here that they are 
not likely to forget, and I should fancy that although we 
may withdraw the army, two or three regiments will be left 
here and at Cairo for a long time to come. We should be 
fools indeed if we threw away the money that this business 
will cost before it is over, and let Egypt slip altogether out 
of our fingers again. France has forfeited her right to have 
anything to say in the matter. In our hands it will be a very 
valuable possession, and certainly our stay here would be of 
inestimable advantage to the natives, as we should govern 
Egypt as we govern India, and do away with the tyranny, 
oppression, and extortion of the native officials.” 

Mrs. Hilliard quite agreed with her husband, and accord- 
ingly the next day Gregory informed Mr. Ferguson that he 
. would accept the three months’ pay and his discharge, and 
should, at any rate for a time, remain in Alexandria. 

‘‘ I think you are right, Hilliard ; there will be lots of op- 
portunities here for a man who knows the language as you do. 
If you like I will speak to Mr. Ross. I saw him yesterday in 
the town, and he said that two of his assistants had been 
f killed. He has already obtained a fresh contract, and a very 


34 


WITH KITCHEHEE IN' THE SOHDAH 


heavy one, for the supply of meat for the troops as they 
arrive, and I have no doubt he would be very glad to engage 
you on good terms, though the engagement could only be 
made during the stay of the army here.” 

“ Thank you, sir, I shall be much obliged to you if you 
will do so; and I would rather that the engagement should 
be a temporary one on both sides, so that I should be free to 
leave at a few days’ notice.” 

The contractor, after a chat with Gregory Hilliard, was 
glad to secure his services. He saw the advantage that it 
would be to have a gentleman to represent him with the army, 
instead of an agent of a very different kind. Other men 
would do to purchase animals from the Arabs, or to receive 
them at the ports when they were brought over from Spain 
and Italy, but it required a variety of qualities difficult to 
obtain in the same person to act as agent with the army. 
Gregory was exactly the man Required, and he was soon on 
excellent terms both with the officers of the quartermaster’s 
department and the contractors who brought in the cargoes 
of cattle. 

As soon as the bulk of the army sailed from Alexandria to 
Ismailia, he made the latter town his head-quarters, and by 
his power of work, his tact and good temper, he smoothed 
away all the difficulties that so often arise between contrac- 
tors and army officials, and won the good-will of all with 
whom he came in contact. When the army removed to Cairo 
after the defeat and dispersal of Arabi’s force at Tel-el-Kebir, 
Gregory established himself there, and was joined by his wife 
and child. As soon as matters settled down, and a considera- 
ble portion of the troops had left Egypt, Mr. Hoss said to 
him : “ Of course our operations in the future will be com- 
paratively small, Mr. Hilliard, and I must reduce my staff.” 

“ I quite understand that,” Gregory replied, “ and I knew 
that I should have to look out for something else.” 

“I shall be very sorry to lose your services, which have 
indeed been invaluable, and I am sure have been appreciated 


THE RISING IN ALEXANDRIA 


35 


by the army men as much as by myself. I certainly should 
not think of your leaving me until you get another berth, 
and it is only because I see an opening, if you like to take it, 
that might lead to something better in the future than any- 
thing I can offer you. You know that Colonel Hicks arrived 
here a fortnight since, and is to take command of the Egyp- 
tian army, and to have the rank of pasha. Several officers 
have received appointments on his staff. He will shortly 
be going up to Khartoum. I was speaking to him yesterday, 
and as I was doing so two of the officers of Wolseley’s staff 
came in. A question of supplies came up, and I mentioned 
your name, and said that I thought that you were the very 
man for him, that you were master of Arabic, and an excel- 
lent organizer, and, a very important matter where there were 
so few English officers together, a gentleman. One of the 
officers who knew the work that you had done at once con- 
firmed what I had said, and declared that Wolseley’s quar- 
termaster-general would speak as warmly in your favour. 
Hicks told me that until he got up to Khartoum he could not 
say what arrangements would be made for the supplies, but 
that he would at any rate be very glad to have you with him 
in the capacity of a first-class interpreter and for general 
service with the staff with the temporary rank of captain, 
with the special view of your services in organizing a supply 
train when he moved forward. I said that I should speak 
to you and ascertain your views.” 

“ I am very much obliged to you indeed. I must take 
twenty-four hours to think it over. Of course I shall be 
guided to some extent by the question whether the appoint- 
ment would be likely to be a permanent one.” 

That I have no doubt ; indeed Hicks said as much. I 
asked him the question, and he replied, ^ I can hardly make 
a permanent appointment now, as I am not quite in the sad- 
dle ; but I have no doubt from what you say that Mr. Hilliard 
will make a valuable officer, and after our first campaign I 
shall without difficulty be able to obtain him a permanent 
appointment in the Egyptian army.’ ” 


36 


WITH KITCHENEK IlST THE SOUDAN 


I thank you most heartily, Mr. Boss ; it seems to me a 
grand opening. There is no doubt that as our troops leave, 
the Egyptian army will be thoroughly reorganized, and there 
will be many openings for a man who knows the language 
and is ready to work hard, and no doubt the regiments will be 
largely officered by Englishmen.” 

That evening Gregory had a long talk with his wife. “ I 
don’t like the thought of leaving you even for a time, but no 
doubt when the Mahdi is settled with, you will be able to 
join me at Khartoum, which I believe is by no means an un- 
pleasant place to live in. Of course I shall come down and 
take you up. It is a splendid chance and will really be my 
reinstatement. Once holding a commission in the Egyptian 
army I should resume my own name and have the future to 
look forward to. Entering the service as the army is being 
reorganized I should have a great pull, and should be sure to 
get on, and be able to write to my father and brother without 
its appearing that I wanted help of any kind.” 

There were tears in Mrs. Hilliard’s eyes, but she said 
brave^: “1 quite agree with you, Gregory. Of course I 
shall be sorry that you should leave me even for a time, but 
it seems to me, too, that it is a grand opportunity. You 
know what a pain it was to me, all the time that we were at 
Alexandria, that you should be working in such a subordinate 
position. Now there is an opening by which you will be in 
a position ere long more worthy of your birth and education. 
I have no doubt I shall get on very well here. I believe that 
Hicks Pasha has brought his wife out with him here, and 
some of his officers will no doubt be married men also, and 
as the wife of one of his officers I shall, of course, get to know 
them. I should be selfish indeed to say a word to keep you 
back, and shall be delighted to think of you associating with 
other English gentlemen as one of themselves.” 

And so it was settled. The next day Gregory called on 
Hicks Pasha. The latter had made some more enquiries 
respecting him, and was well pleased with his appearance. 


THE EISING IH ALEXANDRIA 


37 


‘‘I have already a gentleman named as staff interpreter, 
Mr. Hilliard, but I can appoint you at once interpreter to 
the quartermaster’s department, attached to my personal staff 
for the present. I can tell you that the Egyptian army will 
be largely increased, and I shall be able after a time to pro- 
cure you a better appointment. When we have once defeated 
the Mahdi and restored order, there will be many appoint- 
ments open for the reorganization of the Soudan. There 
are a good many preparations to be made before I leave, which 
I expect to do in the course of three or four weeks, and I 
shall be glad of your assistance as soon as you can join us.” 

“ I shall be glad to do so at once. Mr. Ross has kindly told 
me that I am at liberty to resign my post under him as soon 
as I like.” 

“Very well, then; you may consider yourself appointed 
to-day. My intention is to go first to Suakim, and thence 
up to Berber, and so by water to Khartoum.” 

The next three weeks passed rapidly. Gregory was on the 
following day introduced to the various officers of Hicks 
Pasha’s staff, and, on learning that he was married, the gen- 
eral asked him and his wife to dinner to make the acquaint- 
ance of Lady Hicks and the wives of three of his fellow- 
officers. 

At last the time came for parting. Annie bore up well, 
and althqugh when alone she had many a cry, she was always 
cheerful, and went with her husband and saw him off at the 
station of the railway for Ismailia without breaking down 
badly. 


38 


WITH KITCHENEK IN' THE SOUDAN 


CHAPTEK III 

A TERRIBLE DISASTER ^ 

I T was an anxious time for his wife after Gregory started. 

He and those with him had left with a feeling of confi- j 
dence that the insurrection would speedily be put down. The |: 
garrison of Khartoum had inflicted several severe defeats 
upon the Mahdi, but had also suffered some reverses. This, 
however, was only to be expected, when the troops under him | 

were scarcely more disciplined than those of the Dervishes, ! 

who had always been greatly superior in numbers and in- | 

spired with a fanatical belief in their prophet. But with 1 

British oflScers to command and British officers to drill and | 

discipline the troops, there could be no fear of a recurrence 
of these disasters. Before they started, Mrs. Hilliard had | 
become intimate with the wife of Hicks Pasha and those of 
the other married officers, and had paid visits with them to 
the harems of high Turkish officials. Visits were frequently 
exchanged, and what with these and the care of the boy her 
time was constantly occupied. She received letters from 
Gregory as frequently as possible after his arrival at Omdur- 
man, and until he set out with the main body under the 
general on the way to El Obeid. Before starting he said he 
hoped that in another two months the campaign would be 
over, El Obeid recovered, and the Mahdi smashed up; and 
that as soon as they returned to Khartoum, . Hicks Pasha 
would send for his wife and daughters, : .d the other married 
officers for their wives, and of course she would accompany 
them. 

\ 

I cannot say much for Omdurman, he wrote ; hut Khar- 
toum is a nice place. Many of the houses there hare shady 
gardens. Hicks has promised to recommend me for a majority 
in one of the Turkish regiments. In the intervals of my own 
work I have got up drill. I shall of course tell him then what \ 


A TEEEIBLE DISASTEE 


39 


my real name is, so that I can he gazetted in it. It is likely 
enough that ex/en after we defeat the Mahdi this war may go 
on for some time before it is stamped out, and in another year 
I may he a full-hlown colonel, if only an Egyptian one; and 
as the pay of the English officers is good, I shall he able to 
have a very comfortable home for you. 

I need not repeat my instructions, darling, as to what you 
must do in the event, improbable as it is, of disaster. When 
absolutely assured of my death, but not until then, you will 
go back to England with the hoy and see my father. He is 
not a man to change his mind, unless I were to humble myself 
before him ; but I think he would do the right thing for you. 
If he will not, there is the letter for Geoffrey. He has no 
settled income at present, hut when he comes into the title he 
will, I feel quite certain, make you an allowance. I know 
that you would for yourself shrink from doing this, but for 
the boy^s sake you will not hesitate to carry out my instruc- 
tions. I should say you had better write to my father, for the 
interview might be an unpleasant one ; but if you have to ap- 
peal to Geoffrey you had better call upon him and show him this 
letter. I feel sure that he will do what he can. 

GREGORY. 

A month later a messenger came up from Saukim with a 
despatch dated October 3rd. The force was then within a 
few days’ march of El Obeid. The news was not altogether 
cheering: hordes of the enemy hovered about their rear; 
communication was already difficult, and they had to depend 
upon the stores they carried, and cut themselves off altogether 
from the base. He brought some private letters from the 
officers, and among them one for Mrs. Hilliard. It was short 
and written in pencil: 

In a few days, dear, the decisive battle will take place, and 
although it will be a tough fight none of us have any fear of the 
result. In the very improbable event of a defeat, I shall, if I 
have time, slip on the Arab dress I have with me, and may 
hope to escape. However, I have little fear that it will come 

to that. God bless and protect you and the boy ! 

GREGORY. 


40 WITH KITCHENEE IN' O^E SOHDAH 

A month passed away. 'No news came from Hicks Pasha 
or any of his officers. Then there were rumours current in 
the bazaars of disaster, and one morning when Annie called 
upon Lady Hicks she found several of the ladies there with 
pale and anxious faces. She paused at the door. “ Do not 
be alarmed, Mrs. Hilliard,” Lady Hicks said. “ Hizim Pasha 
has been here this morning. He thought that I might have 
heard the rumours that are current in the bazaar that there 
has been a disaster, but he says there is no confirmation what- 
ever of these reports. He does not deny, however, that they 
have caused anxiety among the authorities, for sometimes 
these rumours, whose origin no one knows, do turn out to be 
correct. He said that enquiries have been made, but no foun- 
dation for the stories can be got at. I questioned him closely, 
and he says that he can only account for them on the ground 
that if a victory had been won an official account from gov- 
ernment should have been here before this, and that it is 
solely on this account that these rumours have got about. 
He said there was no reason for supposing that this silence 
meant disaster. A complete victory might have been won, 
and yet the messenger with the despatches might have been 
captured and killed by the parties of tribesmen hanging be- 
hind the army or wandering about the country between the 
army and Khartoum. Still, of course, this is making us all 
very anxious.” 

The party soon broke up, none having any reassuring sug- 
gestions to offer; and Annie returned to her lodging to weep 
over her boy and pray for the safety of his father. Days and 
weeks passed, and still no word came to Cairo. At Khar- 
toum there was a ferment among the native population. No 
secret was made of the fact that the tribesmen who came and 
went all declared that Hicks Pasha’s army was utterly de- 
stroyed. At length the Egyptian government announced to 
the wives of the officers that pensions would be given to them 
according to the rank of their husbands. As captain and 
interpreter, Gregory’s wife had but a small one, but it was 


A TEREIBLE DISASTER 41 

sufficient for her to live upon. One by one the other ladies 
gave up hope and returned to England, but Annie stayed on. 
Misfortune might have befallen the army, but Gregory might 
have escaped in disguise. She had, like the other ladies, put 
on mourning for him, for had she declared her belief that he 
might still be alive she could not have applied for the pension, 
and this was necessary for the child’s sake. Of one thing she 
was determined : she would not go with him as beggars to the 
father who had cast Gregory off, until, as he had said, she 
received absolute news of his death. She was not in want; 
but as her pension was a small one, and she felt that it would 
be well for her to be employed, she asked Lady Hicks, before 
she left, to mention at the houses of the Egyptian ladies to 
whom she went to say good-bye, that Mrs. Hilliard would be 
glad to give lessons in English, French, or music. 

The idea pleased them, and she obtained several pupils. 
Some of these were the ladies themselves, and the lessons 
generally consisted in sitting for an hour with them two or 
three times a week and talking to them, the conversation 
being in short sentences, of which she gave them the English 
translation, which they repeated over and over again until 
they knew them by heart. This caused great amusement, 
and was accompanied by much laughter on the part of the 
ladies and their attendants. Several of her pupils, howQver, 
were young boys and girls, and the teaching here was of a 
more serious kind. The lessons to the boys were given the 
first thing in the morning, and the pupils were brought to 
her house by attendants. At eleven o’clock she taught the 
girls, and returned at one, and had two hours more teaching 
in the afternoon. She could have obtained more pupils had 
she wished to, but the pay she received, added to her income, 
enabled her to live very comfortably and to save up money. 
She had a negro servant who was very fond of the boy, and 
she could leave him in her charge with perfect confidence 
while she was teaching. 

In the latter part of 1884 she ventured to hope that some 


42 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOHDAN 


news might yet come to her, for a British expedition had 
started for the relief of General Gordon, who had gone up 
early in the year to Khartoum, where it was hoped that the 
influence he had gained among the natives at the time he 
was in command of the Egyptian forces in the Soudan would 
enable him to make head against the insurrection. His ar- 
rival had been hailed by* the population, but it was soon evi- 
dent to him that unless aided by England with something 
more than words Khartoum must finally fall. But his re- 
quests for aid were slighted. He had asked that two regi- 
ments should be sent from Suakim to keep open the route to 
Berber, but Mr. Gladstone’s government refused even this 
slight assistance to the man they had sent out, and it was 
not until May that public indignation at this base desertion 
of one of the noblest spirits that Britain ever produced 
caused preparations for his rescue to be made, and it was 
December before the leading regiment arrived at Korti, far 
up the Kile. 

After fighting two hard battles, a force that had marched 
across the loop of the Kile came down upon it above Metem- 
meh. A party started up the river at once in two steamers 
which Gordon had sent down to meet them, but only arrived 
near the town to hear that they were too late, that Khartoum 
had fallen, and that Gordon had been murdered. The army 
was at once hurried back to the coast, leaving it to the Mah- 
dists — more triumphant than ever — to occupy Dongola, and 
to push down, and possibly, as they were confident they should 
do, to capture Egypt itself. The news of the failure was a 
terrible blow to Mrs. Hilliard. She had hoped that when 
Khartoum was relieved some information at least might be 
obtained from prisoners as to the fate of the British officers at 
El Obeid. That most of them had been killed was certain, but 
she still clung to the hope that her husband might have es- 
caped from the general massacre, thanks to his knowledge of 
the language and the disguise he had with him; and even 
that if captured later on he might be a prisoner; or that he 


A TERRIBLE DISASTER 


43 


might have escaped detection altogether, and be still living 
among friendly tribesmen. It was a heavy blow to her, 
therefore, when she heard that the troops were being hurried 
down to the coast, and that the Mahdi would be uncontested 
master of Egypt as far as Assouan. 

She did, however, receive news when the force returned to 
Cairo, which, although depressing, did not extinguish all 
hope. Lieutenant-colonel Colborne, by good luck, had ascer- 
tained that a native boy in the service of General Buller 
claimed to have been at El Obeid. Upon questioning him 
closely he found out that he had unquestionably been there, 
for he described accurately the position Colonel Colborne — 
who had started with Hicks Pasha, but had been forced by 
illness to return — had occupied in one of the engagements. 
The boy was then the slave of an Egyptian officer of the 
expedition. 

The army had suffered much from want of water, but they 
had obtained plenty from a lake within three days’ march 
from El Obeid. Erom this point they were incessantly fired 
at by the enemy. On the second day they were attacked, but 
beat off the enemy, though with heavy loss to themselves. 
The next day they pressed forward, as it was necessary to get 
to water; but they were misled by their guide, and at noon 
the Arabs burst down upon them, the square in which the 
force was marching was broken, and a terrible slaughter took 
place. Then Hicks Pasha, with his officers, seeing that all 
was lost, gathered together and kept the enemy at bay with 
their revolvers till their ammunition was exhausted. After 
that they fought with their swords till all were killed, Hicks 
Pasha being the last to fall. The lad himself hid among the 
dead and was not discovered until the next morning, when 
he was made a slave by the man who found him. 

This was terrible! — but there was still hope. If this boy 
had concealed himself among the dead, her husband might 
have done the same. Hot being a combatant officer, he might 
not have been near the others when the affair took place; 


u 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


and moreover, the lad had said that the black regiment in 
the rear of the square had kept together and marched away; 
he believed all had been afterwards killed, but this he did 
not know. If Gregory had been there when the square was 
broken he might well have kept with them, and at nightfall 
slipped on his disguise and made his escape. It was at least 
possible — she would not give up all hope. 

So years went on. Things were quiet in Egypt. A native 
army had been raised there under the command of British 
officers, and these had checked the northern progress of the 
Mahdists and restored confidence in Egypt. Gregory — for 
the boy had been named after his father — grew up strong and 
hearty. His mother devoted her evenings to his education. 
From the negress, who was his nurse and the general servant 
of the house, he had learnt to talk her native language. She 
had been carried off when ten years old by a slave-raiding 
party, and sold to an Egyptian trader at Khartoum, been 
given by him to an Atbara chief with whom he had dealings, 
and five years later had been captured in a tribal war by the 
Jaulin. Two or three times she had changed masters, and 
finally had been purchased by an Egyptian officer and brought 
down by him to Cairo. At his death four years afterwards 
she had been given her freedom, being now past fifty, and 
had taken service with Gregory Hilliard and his wife. Her 
vocabulary was a large one, and she was acquainted with 
most of the dialects of the Soudan tribes. 

From the time when her husband was first missing, Mrs. 
Hilliard cherished the idea that some day the child might 
grow up and search for his father, and perhaps ascertain his 
fate beyond all doubt. She was a very conscientious woman, 
and was resolved that at whatever pain to herself she would, 
when once certain of her husband’s death, go to England and 
obtain recognition of his boy by his family. But it was 
pleasant to think that the day was far distant when she could 
give up hope. She saw, too, that if the Soudan was ever 
reconquered the knowledge of the tribal languages must be 


A TERRIBLE DISASTER 


45 


of immense benefit to her son, and she therefore insisted 
from the first that the woman should always talk to him in 
one or other of the languages that she knew. 

Thus Gregory, almost unconsciously, acquired several of 
the dialects used in the Soudan. Arabic formed the basis 
of them all, except the negro tongue. At first he mixed them 
up, but as he grew Mrs. Hilliard insisted that his nurse should 
speak one for a month and then use another, so that by the 
time he was twelve years old the boy could speak in the negro 
tongue and half a dozen dialects with equal facility. His 
mother had years before engaged a teacher of Arabic for 
him; this he learned readily, as it was the root of the Egyp- 
tian and the other languages he had picked up. Of a 
morning he sat in the school and learned pure Arabic and 
Turkish while the boys learned English, and therefore, with- 
out an effort, when he was twelve years old he talked these 
languages as well as English, and had moreover a smatter- 
ing of Italian and French picked up from boys of his own 
age, for his mother had now many acquaintances among the 
European community. While she was occupied in the after- 
noon with her pupils the boy had liberty to go about as he 
pleased, and indeed she encouraged him to take long walks, 
to swim, and to join in all games and exercises. 

“ English boys at home,” she said, “ have many games, and 
it is owing to these that they grow up so strong and active. 
They have more opportunities than you, but you must make 
the most of those that you have. We may go back to Eng- 
land some day, and I should not at all like you to be less 
strong than others.” 

As, however, such opportunities were very small, she had 
an apparatus of poles, horizontal bars, and ropes set up, such 
as those she had seen in England in use by the boys of one 
of the families where she had taught before her marriage, 
and insisted upon Gregory’s e:^ercising himself upon it for an 
hour every morning, soon after sunrise. As she had heard 
her husband once say that fencing was a splendid exercise, 


46 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


not only for developing the figure, but for giving a good car- 
riage as well as activity and alertness, she arranged with a 
rrenchman who had served in the army, and had gained a 
prize as a swordsman in the regiment, to give the boy lessons 
two mornings in the week. Thus, at fifteen Gregory was well 
grown and athletic, and had much of the bearing and appear- 
ance of an English public-school boy. His mother had been 
very particular in seeing that his manners were those of an 
Englishman. 

“ I hope the time will come when you will associate with 
English gentlemen, and I should wish you in all respects to 
be like them. You belong to a good family, and should you 
by any chance some day go home, you must do credit to your 
dear father.” 

The boy had for some years been acquainted with the 
family story, except that he did not know the name he bore 
was his father’s Christian name, and not that of his family. 

My grandfather must have been a very bad man. Mother, 
to have quarreled with my father for marrying you.” 

“ Well, my boy, you hardly understand the extent of the 
exclusiveness of some Englishmen. Of course it is not 
always so, but to some people the idea of their sons or daugh- 
ters marrying into a family of less rank than themselves 
appears to be an almost terrible thing. As I have told you, 
although the daughter of a clergyman, I was, when I became 
an orphan, obliged to go out as a governess.” , 

But there was no harm in that, Mother ? ” 

‘^Ho harm, dear; but a certain loss of position. Had my 
father been alive, and had I been living with him in a coun- 
try rectory, your grandfather might not have been pleased at 
your father’s falling in love with me, because he would prob- 
ably have considered that, being, as you know by his photo- 
graph, a fine, tall, handsome man, and having the best 
education money could give him, he might have married very 
much better, that is to say, the heiress of a property or into 
a family of influence, through which he might have been 


A TERRIBLE DISASTER 


47 


pushed on t but he would not have thought of opposing the 
marriage on the ground of my family. But a governess is a 
different thing; she is in many cases a lady in every respect, 
but her position is a doubtful one. 

“ In some families she is treated as one of themselves ; in 
others her position is very little different from that of an 
upper servant. Your grandfather was a passionate man, and 
a very proud man. Your father’s elder brother was well 
provided for, but there were two sisters, and these and your 
father he hoped would make good marriages. He lived in 
very good style, but your uncle was extravagant, and your 
grandfather was over-indulgent and crippled himself a good 
deal in paying the debts that he incurred. It was natural, 
therefore, that he should have objected to your father’s 
engagement to what he called a penniless governess. It 
was only what was to be expected. If ‘he had stated his 
objections to the marriage calmly, there need have been 
no quarrel. Your father would assuredly have married 
me in any case, and your grandfather might have refused 
to assist him if he did so, but there need have been no break- 
up in the family such as took place. 

However, as it was, your father resented his tone, and 
what had been merely a difference of opinion became a seri- 
ous quarrel, and they never saw each other afterwards. It 
was a great grief to me, and it was owing to that, and his 
‘being unable to earn his living in England, that your father 
brought me out here. I believe he would have done well at 
home, though it would have been a hard struggle. At that 
time I was very delicate, and was ordered by the doctors to 
go to a warm climate, and therefore your father accepted a 
position of a kind which at least enabled us to live, and ob- 
tained for me the benefit of a warm climate. Then the 
chance came of his going up to the Soudan, and there was 
a certainty that if the expedition succeeded, as everyone be- 
lieved it would, he would have obtained permanent rank in- 
the Egyptian army, and so recovered the position in life that 
he had voluntarily given up for my sake.” 


48 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


And what was the illness you had, Mother ? ” 

“ It was an affection of the lungs, dear ; it was a constant 
cough that threatened to turn to consumption, which is one 
of the most fatal diseases we have in England.” 

“ But it hasn’t cured you. Mother, for I often hear you 
coughing at night.” 

^‘Yes, my cough has been a little troublesome of late, 
Gregory.” 

Indeed from the time of the disaster to the expedition of 
Hicks Pasha, Annie Hilliard had lost ground. She herself 
was conscious of it, but except for the sake of the boy she 
had not troubled over it. She had not altogether given up 
hope, but the hope grew fainter and fainter as the years went 
on. Had it not been for the promise to her husband not to 
mention his real name or to make any application to his 
father unless absolutely assured of his death, she would, for 
Gregory’s sake, have written to Mr. Hartley, and asked for 
help that would have enabled her to take the boy home to 
England and have him properly educated there. But she 
had an implicit faith in the binding of a promise so made, 
and as long as she was not driven by absolute want to apply 
to Mr. Hartley, was determined to keep to it. 

A year after this conversation Gregory was sixteen. Mow 
tall and strong, he had for some time past been anxious to 
obtain some employment that would enable his mother to 
give up her teaching. Some of this, indeed, she had been* 
obliged to relinquish. During the past few months her 
cheeks had become hollow, and her cough was now frequent 
by day as well as by night. She had consulted an English 
doctor, who, she saw by the paper, was staying at Shepherd’s 
Hotel. He had hesitated before giving a direct opinion, but 
on her imploring him to tell her the exact state of her health, 
said gently: ^‘I am afraid, madam, that I can give you no 
hope of recovery ; one lung has already gone, the other is very 
seriously diseased. Were you living in England I should 
say that your life might be prolonged by taking you to a 


A TEKEIBLE DISASTER 49 

warm climate, but as it is, no change could be made for the 
better.” 

“ Thank you, doctor ; I wanted to know the exact truth and 
be able to make my arrangements accordingly. I was quite 
convinced that my condition was hopeless, but I thought it 
right to consult a physician, and to know how much time I 
could reckon on. Can you tell me that ? ” 

That is always difficult, Mrs. Hilliard. It may be three 
months hence ; it might be more speedily — a vessel might give 
way in the lungs suddenly. On the other hand, you might 
live six months. Of course I cannot say how rapid the prog- 
ress of the disease has been.” 

It may not be a week, doctor. I am not at all afraid of 
hearing your sentence — indeed I can see it in your eyes.” 

“ It may be within a week ” — the doctor bowed his head 
gravely, — “ it may be at any time.” 

“ Thank you ! ” she said quietly ; “ I was sure it could not 
be long. I have been teaching, but three weeks ago I had 
to give up my last pupil. My breath is so short that the 
slightest exertion brings on a fit of coughing.” 

On her return home she said to Gregory : ‘‘ My dear boy, 
you must have seen — you cannot have helped seeing — that 
my time is not long here. I have seen an English doctor 
to-day, and he says the end may come at any moment.” 

“ Oh, Mother, Mother ! ” the lad cried, throwing himself on 
his knees and burying his face in her lap, don’t say so ! ” 

The news, indeed, did not come as a surprise to him. He 
had for months noticed the steady change in her: how her 
face had fallen away, how her hands seemed nerveless, her 
flesh transparent, and her eyes grew larger and larger. Many 
times he had walked far up among the hills, and when be- 
yond the reach of human eye, thrown himself down and cried 
unrestrainedly until his strength seemed utterly exhausted, 
and yet the verdict now given seemed to come as a sudden 
blow. 

“ You must not break down, dear,” she said quietly. “ For 


50 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOHDAN 


montlis I have felt that it was so, and but for your sake I did 
not care to live. I thank God that I have been spared to 
see you growing up all that I could wish ; and though I should 
have liked to see you fairly started in life, I feel that you 
may now make your way unaided. JTow I want, before it is 
too late, to give you instructions. In my desk you will find 
a sealed envelope. It contains a copy of the registers of my 
marriage and of your birth. These will prove that your 
father married and had a son. You can get plenty of wit- 
nesses who can prove that you were the child mentioned. I 
promised your father that I would not mention our real 
name to anyone until it was necessary for me to write to 
your grandfather. I have kept that promise. His name 
was Gregory Hilliard, so we have not taken false names. 
They were his Christian names; the third name, his family 
name, you will find when you open that envelope. 

“ I have been thinking for months past what you had best 
do, and this is my advice, but do not look upon it as an order. 
You are old enough to think for yourself. You know that 
Sir Herbert Kitchener, the Sirdar, is pushing his way up the 
Nile. I have no doubt that with your knowledge of Arabic 
and of the language used by the black race in the Soudan, 
you will be able to obtain some sort of post in the army, per- 
haps as an interpreter to one of the ofiicers commanding a 
brigade — the same position, in fact, as your father had, ex- 
cept that the army is now virtually British, whereas that he 
went with was Egyptian. I have two reasons for desiring 
this. I do not wish you to go home until you are in a posi- 
tion to dispense with all aid from your family. I have done 
without it, and I trust that you will be able to do the same. 
I should like you to be able to go home at one-and-twenty 
and to say to your grandfather, ^ I have not come home to ask 
for money or assistance of any kind. I am earning my liv- 
ing honourably. I only ask recognition by my family as my 
father’s son.’ 

‘^It is probable that this expedition will last fully two 


A TERKIBLE DISASTER 


51 


years. It must be a gradual advance, and even then, if the 
Khalifa is beaten, it must be a considerable time before mat- 
ters are thoroughly settled. There will be many civil posts 
open to those who, like yourself, are well acquainted with the 
language of the country, and if you can obtain one of these 
you may well remain there until you come of age. You can 
then obtain a few months’ leave of absence and go to Eng- 
land. My second reason is, that although my hope that your 
father is still alive has almost died out, it is just possible that 
he is, like Keufeld and some others, a prisoner in the Kha- 
lifa’s hands, or possibly living as an Arab cultivator near El 
Obeid. Many prisoners will be taken, and from some of 
these we may learn such details of the battle as may clear us 
of the darkness that hangs over your father’s fate. 

“ When you do go home, Gregory, you had best go first to 
your father’s brother. His address is on a paper in the en- 
velope. He was heir to a peerage, and has, perhaps, now 
come into it. I have no reasons for supposing that he sided 
with his father against yours. The brothers were not bad 
friends, although they saw little of each other, for your father 
after he left Oxford was for the most part away from Eng- 
land until a year before his marriage, and at that time your 
uncle was in America, having gone out with two or three 
others on a hunting expedition among the Rocky Mountains. 
There is therefore no reason for supposing that he will re- 
ceive you otherwise than kindly when once he is sure that 
you are his nephew. He may, indeed, for aught I know, have 
made efforts to discover your father after he returned from 
abroad.” 

“I would rather leave them alone altogether, Mother,” 
Gregory said passionately. 

That you cannot do, my boy. Your father was anxious 
that you should be at least recognized, and afterwards bear 
your proper name. You will not be going as a beggar, and 
there will be nothing humiliating. As to your grandfather, 
he may not even be alive. It is seldom that I see an Eng- 


52 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


lish newspaper, and even had his death been advertised in 
one of the papers I should hardly have noticed it, as I never 
did more than just glance at the principal items of news. In 
my desk you will also see my bank-book. It is in your name ; 
I have thought it better that it should stand so, as it will 
save a great deal of trouble should anything happen to me. 
Happily, I have never had any reasons to draw upon it, and 
there are now about five hundred and fifty pounds standing 
to your credit. Of late you have generally paid in the 
money, and you are personally known to the manager. 
Should there be any difiiculty, I have made a will leaving 
everything to you. That sum will keep you, if you canijot 
obtain the employment we speak of, until you come of age, 
and will at any rate facilitate your getting employment with 
the army, as you will not be obliged to demand much pay, 
and can take anything that offers. 

Another reason for your going to England is that your 
grandfather may, if he is dead, have relented at last towards 
your father, and may have left him some share in his fortune ; 
and although you might well refuse to accept any help from 
him if he is alive, you can have no hesitation in taking that 
which should be yours by right. I think sometimes now, my 
boy, that I have been wrong in not accepting the fact of your 
father’s death as proved, and taking you home to England, 
but you will believe that I acted for the best, and I shrank 
from the thought of going home as a beggar while I could 
maintain you and myself comfortably here.” 

“ You were quite right. Mother dear. We have been very 
happy, and I have been looking forward to the time when I 
might work for you as you have worked for me. It has been 
a thousand times better so than livipg on the charity of a 
man who looked down upon you, and who cast off my 
father.” 

Well, you will believe at least that I acted for the best, 
dear, and I am not sure that it has not been for the best. 
At any rate I, too, have been far happier than I could have 


A TERRIBLE DISASTER 53 

been if living in England on an allowance begrudged to 
me.” 

A week later Gregory was awakened by the cries of the 
negro servant, and, running to Mrs. Hilliard’s bedroom, 
found that his mother had passed away during the night. 
Burial speedily follows death in Egypt, and on the following 
day Gregory returned heart-broken to his lonely house after 
seeing her laid in her grave. For a week he did nothing but 
wander about the house listlessly. Then with a great effort 
he roused himself. He had his work before him — had his 
mother’s wishes to carry out. His first step was to go to 
the bank and ask to see the manager. 

“You may have heard of my mother’s death, Mr. Mur- 
ray ? ” he said. 

“ Yes, my lad, and sorry indeed I was to hear of it. She 
was greatly liked and respected by all who knew her.” 

“ She told me,” Gregory went on, trying to steady his voice, 
“ a week before her death that she had money here deposited 
in my name.” 

“ That is so.” 

“ Is there anything to be done about it, sir ? ” 

“ Hot unless you wish to draw it out. She told me some 
time ago why she placed it in your name, and I told her that 
there would be no difficulty.” 

“ I do not want to draw any of it out, sir, as there were 
fifty pounds in the house. She was aware that she had not 
long to live, and no doubt kept it by her on purpose.” 

“ Then all you have to do is to write your signature on this 
piece of paper. I will hand you a cheque-book, and you will 
only have to fill up a cheque and sign it, and draw out any 
amount you please.” 

“ I have never seen a cheque-book, sir; will you kindly tell 
me what I should have to do ? ” 

Mr. Murray took out a cheque-book and explained its use. 
Then he asked what Gregory thought of doing. 

“I wish to go up with the Nile expedition, sir; it was my 


64 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAH 


mo therms wish also that I should do so. My main object is 
to endeavour to obtain particulars of my father’s death, and 
to assure myself that he was one of those who fell at El Obeid. 
I do not care in what capacity I go up ; but as I speak Arabic 
and Soudanese as well as English, my mother thought that 
I might get employment as interpreter, either under an officer 
engaged on making the railway or in some capacity under 
an officer in one of the Egyptian regiments.” 

“ I have no doubt that I can help you there, lad. I know 
the Sirdar and a good many of the British officers, for whom 
I act as agent. Of course I don’t know in what capacity 
they could employ you, but surely some post or other could 
be found for you where your knowledge of the language 
would render you very useful. ETaturally the officers in the 
Egyptian service all understand enough of the language to 
get on with, but few of the officers in the British regiments 
do. It is fortunate that you came to-day. I have an ap- 
pointment with Lord Cromer to-morrow morning, so I will 
take the opportunity of speaking to him. As it is an army 
affair, and as your father was in the Egyptian service, and 
your mother had a pension from it, I may get him to interest 
himself in the matter. Kitchener is down here at present, 
and if Cromer would speak to him I should think you would 
certainly be able to get up, though I cannot say in what posi- 
tion. The fact that you are familiar with the negro lan- 
guage, which differs very widely from that of the Arab 
Soudan tribes, who all speak Arabic, is strongly in your 
favour, and may give you an advantage over applicants who 
can only speak Arabic. I shall see Lord Cromer at ten, and 
shall probably be with him for an hour. You may as well be 
outside his house at half-past ten ; possibly he may like to see 
you. At any rate, when I come down I can tell you what 
he says.” 

With grateful thanks Gregory returned home. 


AN APPOINTMENT 


65 


CHAPTEK IV 

AN APPOINTMENT 

S OON after ten next morning Gregory took up his place 
near the entrance to Lord Cromer’s house. It was just 
eleven when Mr. Murray came down. 

Come in with me,” he said; ^‘Lord Cromer will see you. 
He acknowledged at once, when I told him your story, that 
you had a strong claim for employment. The only point 
was as to your age. I told him that you were past sixteen, 
and a strong, active fellow, and that you had had a good 
physical training.” 

They had now entered the house. “Don’t be nervous. 
Hilliard; just talk to him as you would to me. Many a 
good man has lost an appointment from being nervous and 
embarrassed when he applied for it.” 

“ You want to go up to the Soudan? ” Lord Cromer said. 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ Mr. Murray has told me your reasons for wanting to go. 
Though I fear it is hardly likely that any new light can be 
thrown upon the fate of Hicks Pasha and his officers, I feel 
that it is a natural desire on your part.” 

“ It was my mother’s last wish, sir, and she took particular 
pains in my training and education to fit me for the work.” 

“You speak Arabic and the tongue of the negro blacks 
almost as well as English ? ” 

“Yes, sir; Arabic quite as well, and the other nearly as 
well, I think.” 

“ What sort of post did you hope to get, Mr. Hilliard ? ” 

“ Any post for which I may be thought fit, sir. I do not 
care at all about pay ; my mother saved sufficient to keep me 
for two or three years. I would rather enlist than not go up 
at all, though I fear I am too young to be accepted; but I 
am quite ready to turn my hand to anything.” 


56 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOHDAN 


“If it concerned the Egyptian government or a civil ap- 
pointment I would certainly exert my influence in your 
favour, but this expedition is in the hands of the military. 
However, if you will take a seat in the ante-room, and do 
not mind waiting there for an hour or two, I will see what 
can be done.” 

“ Thank you very much indeed, sir.” 

Mr. Murray, as they went out together, said: “I think 
that you have made a good impression. He told me before 
that it was a matter for Sir Herbert Kitchener, and that he 
was expecting him in a quarter of an hour. Come and tell 
me the result when you leave.” 

Ten minutes later a tall man, whom Gregory recognized 
at once as Sir Herbert Kitchener, whose flgure was well 
known in Cairo, passed through the room, all who were sit- 
ting there rising to their feet as he did so. He acknowledged 
the salute mechanically, as if scarcely conscious of it. An 
hour later a bell was rung, and an attendant went into the 
room. He returned directly. 

“ Mr. Hilliard,” he said. Gregory rose and passed through 
the door held open. Kitchener was sitting at the table with 
Lord Cromer. His keen glance seemed to Gregory to take 
him in from head to foot, and then to look at something far 
beyond him. 

“ This is Mr. Hilliard,” Lord Cromer said, “ the young 
gentleman I have spoken of.” 

“ You want to go up ? ” the general said shortly, in Arabic. 

“Yes, sir.” 

“ You do not mind in what capacity you go? ” 

“Ko, sir; I am ready to do anything.” 

“To work on the railway or in the transport? ” 

“ Yes, sir. Though I would rather not be on the railway, 
for the railway cannot get on as fast as the troops; but I 
would enlist in one of the English regiments if they would 
take me.” 

“And you speak the language of the Kubian blacks?” 
The question was put in that language. 



ms KEEN GLANCE SEEMED TO GREGORY TO TAKE HIM ?N 
FROM HEAD TO FOOT 







AN APPOINTMENT 


57 

“ Yes; I do not think I speak it quite as well as Arabic, but 
I speak it fairly.” 

• Do you think that you could stand the fatigue — no 
child's play, you know ? ” 

I can only say that I hope I can, sir. I have been accus- 
tomed to take long walks, and spend an hour a day in gym- 
nastic exercises, and I have had lessons in fencing.” 

“ Can you use a pistol ? ” 

Yes, fairly; I have practised a good deal with it.” 

“ You are most fitted for an interpreter,” the general said, 
speaking this time in English. “ Now the North Stafford- 
shire have, come down, there are no British regiments up 
there, and of course the British officers in the Egyptian army 
all speak Arabic to some extent. However, I will send you 
up to Dongola. Either General Hunter or Colonel Wingate 
of the Intelligence Department may be able to find some use 
for you, and when the British troops go up you can be 
attached to one of their regiments as their interpreter. You 
will have temporary rank of lieutenant, with, of course, the 
pay of that rank. Captain Ewart came with me. Lord 
Cromer; I left him in the ante-room. If you will allow me 
I will call him in. Captain Ewart,” he said as that officer 
entered, “ Mr. Hilliard here has just received the temporary 
rank of lieutenant in the Egyptian army and is going up to 
join General Hunter at Dongola. You are starting in three 
days, are you not ? ” 

« Yes, sir.” 

“ I shall be glad if you will take him under your wing as 
far as you go. He speaks the languages, negro as well as 
Arabic. You can tell him what kit he had better take, and 
generally mother him. That is all, Mr. Hilliard. Call at 
my quarters the day after to-morrow for the letters for Gen- 
eral Hunter and Colonel Wingate.” 

^‘1 thank you most deeply, sir,” Gregory began, but the 
Sirdar gave a little impatient wave with his hand. 

“ Thank you most deeply also. Lord Cromer ! ” Gregory 


58 


WITH KITCHENEE IH THE SOUDAH 


said with a bow, and then left the room. Captain Ewart 
remained there for another ten minutes. When he came out 
he nodded to Gregory. Will you come with me? ” he said. 
“ I am going to the bank. I shall not be there many minutes, 
and we can then have a talk together.” 

“ Thank you, sir I I am going to the bank too. It was Mr. 
Murray who first spoke to Lord Cromer about me.” 

“You could not have had a better introduction. Well, 
you won’t have very long to get ready for the start — that is, 
if you have not begun to prepare for it. However, there is 
no rush at present, therefore I have no doubt you will be able 
to get your khaki uniforms in time. As for other things, 
there will be no difficulty about them.” 

“ You have been up at the front before, sir? ” 

“ Yes, my work is on the railway. I had a touch of fever, 
and got leave to come down and recruit before the hot 
weather came in. I dare say you think it hot here sometimes, 
but this is an ice-house in comparison with the desert.” 

They talked until they arrived at the bank. “You may 
as well go in first and see Murray. I suppose you won’t be 
above two or three minutes. I shall be longer, perhaps a 
quarter of an hour, so if you wait for me we will go to Shep- 
herd’s and talk your business over in some sort di comfort.” 

“I am pleased indeed,” Mr. Murray said, when Gregory 
told him of his appointment. “It is better than I even 
hoped. It is bad enough there in the position of an officer, 
but it would be infinitely worse in any other capacity. Do 
you want to draw any money ? ” 

“Ho, sir; I have fifty pounds by me and that will be 
enough, I should think, for everything.” 

“More than ample. Of course you have plenty of light 
underclothing of all sorts, and a couple of suits of khaki will 
not cost you anything like so much as they would if you 
got them at a military tailor’s in London. However, if you 
want more you will be able to draw it.” 

“Thank you very much, sir I I will not detain you any 


AN APPOINTMENT 


59 


longer now, but will, if you will allow me, come in to say 
good-bye before I start. Captain Ewart is waiting to speak 
to you. He came with me from Lord Cromer’s.” 

Captain Ewart then went in, and after settling the business 
on which he had come, asked Mr. Murray questions about 
Gregory and received a sketch of his story. 

“ He seems to be a fine young fellow,” he said, “ well-grown 
and active, not at all what one would expect from a product 
of Cairo.” 

‘^Ho, indeed; of course you have not seen him to advan- 
tage in that black suit, but in his ordinary clothes I should 
certainly take him, if I had not seen him before, to be a 
young lieutenant freshly come out to join.” 

Did you know the father ? ” 

“Ho, I was not here at that time; but the mother was a 
lady every inch. It is strange that neither of them should 
have friends in England. It may be that she preferred to 
earn her living here and be altogether independent.” 

“ She had a pension, hadn’t she ? ” 

“ A small one, but she really earned her living by teach- 
ing. She gave lessons to the ladies in English, French, and 
music, and had classes for young boys and girls. I once asked 
her if she did not intend to go back and settle in England, 
and she said ‘Possibly, some day.’ I fancy that there must 
have been some mystery about the affair — what, I can’t say; 
but at any rate we may take it that such a woman would not 
have married a man who was not a gentleman.” 

“ Certainly the boy looks a well-bred one,” Captain Ewart 
said, “ and I am sure that the Sirdar must have been taken 
with him. You don’t know any more about his father than 
you have told me ? ” 

“ Very little. Once, in talking with his wife, she told me 
that her husband had been in a commercial house in Alex- 
andria for a year, but the place was burned down at the time 
of the bombardment. Being thus out of harness he became 
an assistant to one of the army contractors, and when things 


60 


WITH KITCHEHEE IN THE SOUDAN 


settled down at Cairo obtained a berth as interpreter, with 
the temporary rank of captain on Hicks Pasha’s staff, as he 
also spoke Arabic fluently. I can tell you no more about 
him than that, as I never saw him, though no doubt he came 
here with his wife when her account was opened. I was 
interested in her. I looked up the old books and found that 
two hundred pounds was paid into her account before he left. 
I may say that she steadily increased that amount ever since, 
but a few years ago she had the sum then standing trans- 
ferred to the boy’s name, telling me frankly at the time that 
she did so to save trouble in case anything happened to her. 
I fancy from what she said that for the last year or two she 
had been going downhill. I had a chat with her the last time 
she came in. She told me that she had been consumptive, 
and that it was for the sake of her health they came out 
here.” * 

“ That accounts for it, Murray. By the date, they were 
probably only married a year or so before they came out, and 
a man who loved a young wife and saw no other way of sav- 
ing her would throw up any berth at home in order to give 
her the benefit of a warm climate. Still, it is a little curious 
that if he had only been out here a year or so before Hicks 
started, he should have learned Arabic sufficiently well to get 
a post as interpreter. I have been in the country about three 
years, and can get on fairly well with the natives in matters 
concerning my own work, but I certainly could not act as 
general interpreter. 

“ Well, I am glad to have heard this, for you know the sort 
of men interpreters generally are. From the lad’s appear- 
ance and manner there is no shadow of doubt that his mother 
was a lady. I thought it more than probable that she had 
married beneath her and that her husband was of the ordi- 
nary interpreter class. How, from what you have said I see 
that it is probable he came of a much better family. Well, 
you may be sure that I shall do what I can for the lad.” 

Gregory joined him as he left the bank. I think. Hill- 


AN APPOINTMENT 


61 


iard, we liad best go to the tailor first; his shop is not far 
from here. As you want to get your things in three days, 
it is as well to have that matter settled at once.” 

The two suits, each consisting of khaki tunic, breeches, 
and putties, were ordered. “ You had better have breeches,” 
he said. “It is likely you will have to ride, and knicker- 
bockers look baggy.” 

This done, they went to Shepherd^s Hotel. “ Sit down in 
the verandah,” Captain Ewart said, “until I get rid of my 
regimentals. Even a khaki tunic is not an admirable gar- 
ment when one wants to be cool and comfortable.” 

In a few minutes he came down again in a light tweed suit, 
and, seating himself in another lounging chair, two cooling 
drinks were brought in; then he said: “How we will 
talk about your outfit, and what you had best take up. Of 
course you have got light underclothing, so you need not 
bother about that. You want ankle boots — and high ones — 
to keep out the sand. You had better take a couple of pairs 
of slippers, they are of immense comfort at the end of the 
day ; also a light cap to slip on when you are going from one 
tent to another after dark. A helmet is a good thing in 
many ways, but it is cumbrous ; and if there are four or five 
men in a tent and they all take off their helmets, it is difficult 
to know where to stow them away. Most likely you will get 
a tent at Dongola, but you canT always reckon upon that, 
and you may find it very useful to have a light ienie d^abri 
made. It should have a fly, which is useful in two ways. In 
the first place, it adds to the height and so enlarges the space 
inside ; and in the next place, you can tie it up in the daytime 
and allow whatever air there is to pass through; then, with 
a blanket thrown over the top, you will find it cooler than a 
regimental tent. Of course you will want a sword and a re- 
volver, with a case and belt. Get the regulation size and a 
hundred rounds of cartridges; you are not likely ever to 
use a quarter of that number, but they will come in for prac- 
tice. How as to food. Of course you get beef, biscuit, or 


62 


WITH KITCHEITEK IN THE SOUDAN 


bread, and there is a certain amount of tea, but nothing like 
enough for a thirsty climate, especially when — which is 
sometimes the case — the water is so bad that it is not safe 
to drink unless it has been boiled ; so you had better take up 
four or five pounds of tea.” ^ 

“ I don’t take sugar, sir.” 

“ All the better ; there is no better drink than tea poured 
out and left to cool, and drunk without sugar. You might 
take a dozen tins of preserved milk, as many of condensed 
cocoa and milk, and a couple of dozen pots of jam. Of 
course you could not take all these things on if you were 
likely to move, but you may be at Dongola some time before 
there is another advance, and you may as well make yourself 
as comfortable as you can ; and if, as is probable, you cannot 
take the pots up with you, you can hand them over to those 
who are left behind. You will have no trouble in getting a 
fair-sized case taken up, as there will be water carriage nearly 
all the way. A good many fellows have aerated waters sent, 
up, but hot soda-water is by no means a desirable drink — 
not to be compared with tea kept in porous jars, so I should 
not advise you to bother about it. You will want a water- 
bottle; get the largest you can find. It is astonishing how 
much water a fellow can get down in a long day’s march. 
Oh! as to your boots, get the uppers as light as you can — 
the lighter the better ; but you must have strong soles — there 
are rocks in some places, and they cut the soles to pieces in 
no time. The sand is bad enough ; your foot sinks in it, and 
it seems to have a sort of sucking action, and very often takes 
the sole right off in a very short time. I suppose you 
smoke ? ” 

“ Cigarettes, sir.” 

I should advise you to get a pipe in addition, or rather 
two or three of them. If they get broken or lost in the sand 
there is no replacing them; and if you don’t take to them 
yourself you will find them the most welcome present you 
can give to a man who has lost his. I should advise you 


AN APPOINTMENT 


63 


to get a lens; you don’t want a valuable one, but the larger 
the better, and the cheapest that you can buy ; it will be quite 
as good as the best to use as a burning-glass. Matches are 
precious things out there, and with a burning-glass you will 
only have to draw upon your stock in the evening. Now, 
do you ride ? because all the white officers with the Egyptian 
troops do so.” 

I am sorry to say that I don’t, sir. I have ridden don- 
keys, but anyone can sit upon a donkey.” 

“Yes; that won’t help you much. Then I should advise 
you to use all the time that you can spare, after ordering 
your outfit, in riding. No doubt you could hire a horse.” 

“Yes; there is no difficulty about that.” 

“ Well, if you will hire one and come round here at six 
o’clock to-morrow morning, I will ride out for a couple of 
hours with you and give you your first lesson. I can borrow 
a horse from one of the staff. If you once get to sit your 
horse in a workmanlike fashion, and to carry yourself well, 
you will soon pick up the rest; and if you go out morning 
and evening for three hours each time, you won’t be quite 
abroad when you start to keep up with a column of men on 
foot. As to a horse, it would be hardly worth your while 
to bother about taking one with you ; you will be able to pick 
one up at Dongola. I hear that fugitives are constantly 
coming in there, and some of them are sure to be mounted. 
However, you had better take up a saddle and bridle with 
you.* You might as well get an Egyptian one, in the first 
place because it is a good deal cheaper, and in the second 
because our English saddles are made for bigger horses. 
You need not mind much about the appearance of your ani- 
mal, anything will do for riding about at Dongola, and 
learning to keep your seat. In the first fight you have with 
Dervish horsemen there are sure to he some riderless horses, 
and you may then get a good one for a pound or two from 
some Tommy who has captured one.” 

“I am sure I am immensely obliged to you, Captain 
Ewart; that will indeed be an advantage to me.” 


64 


WITH HITCHENEK IH THE SOUDAH 


On leaving the hotel Gregory at once madf" all his pur- 
chases, so as to get them off his mind, and then arranged for 
the horse in the morning. Then he went home and told the 
old servant the change that had taken place in his position. 

An d now what about yourself, what would you like to 
do?” 

I am too old to go up with you and cook for you.” 

“Yes, indeed,” he laughed, “we shall be doing long 
marches. But it is not your age so much. As an officer 
it would be impossible for me to have a female servant. 
Besides, you want quiet and rest. I have been round to the 
landlord to tell him that I am going away, and to pay him 
a month’s rent instead of notice. I should think the best 
way would be for you to take a large room for yourself, or 
two rooms not so large — one of them for you to live in, and 
the other to store everything there is here. I know that you 
will look after them and keep them well. Of course you will 
pick out all the things that you can use in your room. It 
will be very lonely for you living all by yourself, but you 
know numbers of people here, and you might engage a girl 
to stay with you for some small wages and her food. hTow 
you must think over what your food and hers will cost, and 
the rent. Of course, I want you to live comfortably; you 
have always been a friend rather than a servant, and my 
mother had the greatest trust in you.” 

“You are very good. Master Gregory. While you have 
been away to-day, I have been thinking over what I should 
do when you went away. I have a friend who comes in 
once a week with fruit and vegetables. Last year, you know, 
I went out with her and stayed a day. She has two boys who 
work in the garden, and a girl. She came in to-day, and I 
said to her : ^ My young master is going away to the Soudan, 
what do you say to my coming and living with you when he 
has gone? I can cook, and do all about the house, and help 
a little in the garden; and I have saved enough money to 
pay for my share of food.’ She said, ‘ I should like that very 


AN APPOINTMENT 


65 


well; you could help the boys in the field/ So we agreed 
that, if you were willing, I should go. I thought of the 
furniture ; but if you do not come back here to live, it would 
be no use to keep the chairs, and tables, and beds, and things. 
We can put all Missy’s things, and everything you like to 
keep, into a great box, and I could take them with me; or 
you could have them placed with some honest man, who 
would only charge very little for storage.” 

“ Well, I do think that would be a good plan, if you like 
these people; it would be far better than living by yourself. 
However, of course I shall pay for your board, and I shall 
leave money with you, so that if you are not comfortable 
there you can do as I said, take a room here. I think you are 
right about the furniture. How would you sell it ? ” 

“ There are plenty of Greek shops. They would buy it all. 
They would not give as much as you gave for it. Most of 
them are great rascals.” 

“ We cannot help that,” he said. “ I should have to sell 
them when I come back, and at any rate we save the rent for 
housing them. They are not worth much. You may take 
anything you like, a comfortable chair and a bed, some cook- 
ing things, and so on,’ and sell the rest for anything you can 
get after I have gone. I will pack my dear mother’s things 
this evening.” 

For the next two days Gregory almost lived on horseback, 
arranging with the man from whom he hired the animals 
that he should change them three times a day. He laid aside 
his black clothes and took to a white flannel suit, with a black 
ribbon round his straw hat, as deep mourning would be ter- 
ribly hot, and altogether unsuited for riding. 

You will do, lad,” Captain Ewart said to him after giving 
him his first lesson. “ Your fencing has done much for you, 
and has given you an easy poise of body and head. Always 
remember that it is upon balancing the body that you should 
depend for your seat, although, of course, the grip of the 
knees does a good deal. Also remember always to keep your 


66 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 


feet straight ; nothing is so awkward as turned-out toes. Be- 
sides, in that position, if the horse starts you are very likely 
to dig your spurs into him. Hold the reins firmly, but don’t 
pull at his head. Give him enough scope to toss his head if 
he wants to, but be in readiness to tighten the reins in an 
instant if necessary.” 

Each day Gregory returned home so stiff and tired that 
he could scarcely crawl along. Still, he felt that he had 
made a good deal of progress, and that wjien he got up to 
Dongola he would be able to mount and ride out without 
exciting derision. On the morning of the day on which he 
was to start he went to say good-bye to Mr. Murray. 

‘‘ Have you everything ready, Hilliard ? ” the banker asked. 

‘‘Yes, sir; the uniform and the tent are both ready. I 
have a cork bed, and waterproof sheet to lay under it, and, 
I think, everything that I can possibly require. I am to meet 
Captain Ewart at the railway this afternoon at five o’clock; 
the train starts at half-past. I will draw another twenty- 
five pounds, sir. I have not spent more than half what I 
had, but I must leave some money with our old servant. I 
shall have to buy a horse, too, when I get up to Dongola, 
and I may have other expenses that I cannot foresee.” 

“I think that is a wise plan,” the banker said. “It is 
always well to have money with you, for no one can say what 
may happen. Your horse may get shot or founder, and you 
may have to buy another. Well, I wish you every luck, lad, 
and a safe return.” 

“ Thank you very much, Mr. Murray ! All this good 
fortune has come to me entirely through your kindness; I 
cannot say how grateful I feel to you.” 


SOUTHWAKD 


67 


CHAPTER V 

SOUTHWARD 

A t the hour named, Gregory met Captain Ewart at the 
station. He was now dressed in uniform, and carried a 
revolver in his waist-belt, and a sword in its case. His lug- 
gage was not extensive. He had one large bundle ; it con- 
tained a roll-up cork bed in a waterproof casing. At one end 
was a loose bag which contained a spare suit of clothes, three 
flannel shirts, and his underclothing; this formed the pillow. 
A blanket and a waterproof sheet were rolled up with it. In 
a small sack was the tente d’dbri made of waterproof sheet- 
ing, with its two little poles. It only weighed some fifteen 
pounds. His only other luggage consisted of a large case 
with six bottles of brandy, and the provisions he had been 
recommended to take. 

‘‘Is that all your kit?” Captain Ewart said as he joined 
him. 

“Yes, sir; I hope you don’t think it is too much.” ' 
“No; I think it is very moderate, though if you move 
forward you will not be able to take the case with you. The 
others are light enough, and you can always get a native boy 
to carry them. Of course you have your pass ? ” 

“Yes, sir; I received it yesterday when I went to head- 
quarters for the letter to General Hunter.” 

“ Then we may as well take our places at once. We have 
nearly an hour before the train starts, but it is worth waiting 
in order to get two seats next the window on the river side. 
We need not sit there till the train starts, if we put our traps 
in to keep our places. I know four or five other officers 
coming up, so we will spread our things about and keep the 
whole carriage to ourselves if we can.” 

In an hour the train started. Every place was occupied. 
Ewart had spoken to his friends as they arrived, and they 


68 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


had all taken places in the same compartment. The journey 
lasted forty hours, and Gregory admitted that the descrip- 
tion Captain Ewart had given him of the dust was by no 
means exaggerated. He had brought, as had been suggested, 
a water-skin and a porous earthenware bottle, together with 
a roll of cotton-wool to serve as a stopper to the latter to keep 
out the dust. In a tightly-fitting hand-bag he had an ample 
supply of food for three days. Along the opening of this he 
had pasted a strip of paper. 

That will do very well for your first meal, Hilliard, but 
it will be of no good afterwards.’^ 

“ I have prepared for that,” Gregory said. “ I have bought 
a gum bottle, and as I have a newspaper in my pocket I can 
seal it up after each meal.” 

“ By Jove, that is a good idea, one I never thought of ! ” 
The gum will be quite sufficient for us all up to Assouan. 
I have two more bottles in my box. That should be sufficient 
to last me for a long time when I am in the desert ; and as it 
won’t take half a minute to put a fresh paper on after each 
meal, I shall have the satisfaction of eating my food without 
its being mixed with the dust.” 

There was a general chorus of approval, and all declared 
that they would search every shop in Assouan and endeavour 
to find gum. 

“ Paste will do as well,” Ewart said, “ and as we can always 
get flour we shall be able to defy the dust fiend as far as our 
food goes. I certainly did not expect that old campaigners 
would learn a lesson from you, Hilliard, as soon as you 
started.” 

“ It was just an idea that occurred to me,” Gregory said. 

The gum bottle was handed round, and although nothing 
could be done for those who, had brought their provisions in 
hampers, three of them who had, like Gregory, put their food 
in bags were able to seal them up tightly. 

It was now May, and the heat was becoming intolerable, 
especially as'-’the windows were closed to keep out the dust. 


SOUTHWARD 


69 


In spite of this, however, it found its way in. It settled 
everywhere : clothes and hair became white with it ; it worked 
its way down the neck, where the perspiration changed it 
into mud. It covered the face as if with a cake of flour. 
At first Gregory attempted to brush it off his clothes as it 
settled upon them, but he soon found that there was no ad- 
vantage in this. So he sat quietly in his corner, and, like the 
rest, looked like a dirty white statue. There were occasional 
stops, when they all got out, shook themselves, and took a 
few mouthfuls of fresh air. Gregory’s plan for keeping out 
the dust from the food turned out a great success, and the 
meals were eaten in the open air during the stoppages. On 
arriving at Assouan they all went to the transport depart- 
ment to get their passes for the journey up the Nile as far as 
Wady Haifa. 

The next step was to go down to the river for a swim, and 
by dint of shaking and beating to get rid of the accumulated 
dust. Assouan was not a pleasant place to linger in, and as 
soon as they had completed their purchases Captain Ewart 
and Gregory climbed on to the loaded railway train and were 
carried by the short line to the spot where, above the cataract, 
the steamer that was to carry them was lying. She was. to 
tow up a large barge and two native craft. They took their 
places in the steamer with a number of other officers — some 
new-comers from England, others men who had been down 
to Cairo to recruit. They belonged to all branches of the 
service, and included half a dozen of the medical staff, three 
of the transport corps, gunners, engineers, cavalry, and in- 
fantry. The barges were deep in the water with their car- 
goes of stores of all kinds, and rails and sleepers for the 
railway, and the steamer was also deeply loaded. 

The passage was a delightful one to Gregory. Everything 
was new to him. The cheery talk and jokes of the officers, the 
graver discussion of the work before them, the calculations 
as to time and distance, the stories told of what had taken 
place during the previous campaign by those who shared in it 


70 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

— were all so different from anything he had ever before ex- 
perienced that the hours passed almost unnoticed. It was 
glorious to think that, in whatever humble capacity, he was 
yet one of the band who were on their way up to meet the 
hordes of the Khalifa, to rescue the Soudan from the tyranny 
under which it had groaned, to avenge Gordon and Hicks 
and the gallant men who had died with them ! Occasionally 
Captain Ewart came up and talked to him, but he was well 
content to sit on one of the bales and listen to the, conversa- 
tion without joining in it. In another couple of years he too 
would have had his experiences, and would be able to take his 
part. At present he preferred to be a listener. 

The distance to Wady Haifa was some three hundred 
miles ; but the current was strong, and the steamer could not 
tow the boats more than five miles an hour against it. It 
was sixty hours from the start before they arrived. Gregory 
was astonished at the stir and life in the place. Great num- 
bers of native labourers were at work unloading barges and 
native craft, and a line of railway ran down to the wharves, 
where the work of loading the trucks went on briskly. 
Smoke pouring out from many chimneys, and the clang of 
hammers, told that the railway engineering work was in full 
swing. Vast piles of boxes, cases, and bales were accumu- 
lated on the wharf, and showed that there would be no loss 
of time in pushing forward supplies to Abu Hamed as soon 
as the railway was completed to that point. Wady Haifa 
had been the starting-point of a railway commenced years 
before. A few miles have been constructed and several build- 
ings erected for the functionaries, military and civil; but 
Gordon, when Governor of the Soudan, had refused to allow 
the province to be saddled with the expenses of the construc- 
tion or to undertake the responsibility of carrying it out. 

In 1884 there was some renewal of work, and had Gordon 
been rescued and Khartoum permanently occupied, the line 
would no doubt have been carried on ; but with the retirement 
of the British troops work ceased, and the great stores of 






SOUTHWAED 


71 


material that had been gathered there remained for years 
half-covered with the sand. In any other climate this would 
have been destructive, but in the dry air of Upper Egypt they 
remained almost uninjured, and proved very useful when the 
work was again taken up. It was a wonderful undertaking, 
for along the two hundred and thirty-four miles of desert, 
food, water, and every necessary had to be carried, together 
with all materials for its construction. Hot only had an 
army of workmen to be fed, but a body of troops to guard 
them ; for Abu Hamed, at the other end of the line, for which 
they were making, was occupied by a large body of Dervishes 
who might at any moment swoop down across the plain. 

Had the Sirdar had the resources of England at his back 
the work would have been easier, for he could have ordered 
from home new engines and plant of every description; but 
it was an Egyptian work, and had to be done in the cheapest 
possible way. Old engines had to be patched up, and make- 
shifts of all kinds employed. Fortunately, he had in the 
chief engineer of the line a man whose energy, determination, 
and resource were equal to his own. Major Girouard was a 
young officer of the Royal Engineers, and, like all white offi- 
cers in the Egyptian service, held the rank of major. He 
was a Canadian by birth, and proved in every respect equal 
to the onerous and responsible work to which he was appoint- 
ed. However, labour was cheap, and railway battalions were 
raised among the Egyptian peasants, their pay being the 
same as that of the soldiers. Strong, hearty, and accustomed 
to labour and a scanty diet, no 'men could have been more 
fitted for the work. They preferred it to soldiering, for 
although, as they had already shown, and were still further 
to prove, the Egyptian can fight, and fight bravely, he is by 
nature peaceable and prefers work however hard. In addi- 
tion to these battalions, natives of the country and of the 
Soudan, fugitives from ruined villages and desolated plains, 
were largely employed. The line had now been carried three- 
quarters of the distance to Abu Hamed, which was still in 


72 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


the hands of the Dervishes. It had been constructed with 
extraordinary rapidity, for the ground was so level that only 
occasional cuttings were needed. 

The organization of labour was perfect; the men were 
divided into gangs, each under a head man, and each having 
its own special work to do. There were the men who un- 
loaded the trucks, the labourers who did the earth-work, and 
the more skilled hands who levelled it. As fast as the trucks 
were emptied gangs of men carried the sleepers forward and 
laid them down roughly in position ; others followed and cor- 
rected the distance between each. The rails were then 
brought along and laid down with the fish-plates in the proper 
places; men put these on, and boys screwed up the nuts. 
Then plate-layers followed and lined the rails accurately, 
and when this was done sand was thrown in and packed down 
between the sleepers. 

By this division of labour the line was pushed on from 
one to two miles a day, the camp moving forward with the 
line. Six tank trucks brought up the water for the use of 
the labourers daily, and everything worked with as much 
regularity as in a great factory at home. Troops of friendly 
tribesmen in our pay scoured the country and watched the 
wells along the road farther to the east, so as to prevent any 
bands of Dervishes from dashing suddenly down upon the 
workers. 

At Wady Haifa, Captain Ewart and two or three other 
officers left the steamer to proceed up the line. Gregory was 
very sorry to lose him. 

I cannot tell you. Captain Ewart,” he said, “ how deeply 
grateful I feel to you for the immense kindness you have 
shown me. I don’t know what I should have done had I been 
left without your advice and assistance in getting my outfit 
and making my arrangements to come up here.” 

“My dear lad,” the latter said, “ don’t say anything more. 
In any case, I should naturally be glad to do what I could for 
the son of a man who died fighting in the same cause as we 


SOTJTHWAED 


73 


are now engaged in. But in your case it has been a pleasure, 
for I am sure you will do credit to yourself and to the mother 
who has taken such pains in preparing you for the work you 
are going to do, and in fitting you for the position that you 
now occupy.” 

As the officers who had come up with them in the train 
from Cairo were all going on, and had been told by Ewart 
something of Gregory’s story, they had aided that officer in 
making Gregory feel at home in his new circumstances, and 
in the two days they had been on board the boat he had made 
the acquaintance of several others. 

The river railway had now been carried from Wady Haifa 
to Kerma, above the third cataract. The heavy stores were 
towed up by steamers and native craft. Most of the engines 
and trucks had been transferred to the desert line ; but a few 
were still retained to carry up troops if necessary, and aid the 
craft in accumulating stores. One of these trains started a 
few hours after the arrival of the steamer at Wady Haifa. 
Gregory with the officers going up occupied two horse-boxes. 

Several of them had been engaged in the last campaign, 
and pointed out the places of interest. At Sarras, some 
thirty miles up the road, there had been a fight on the 29th 
of April, 1887, when the Dervish host, advancing strong in 
the belief that they could carry all before them down to the 
sea, were defeated by the Egyptian force under the Sirdar 
and General Chermside. 

The next stop of the train was at Akasheh. This had been 
a very important station before the last advance, as all the 
stores had been accumulated here when the army advanced. 
Here had been a strongly entrenched camp, for the Dervishes 
were in force fifteen miles away, at Ferket. 

It was a busy time we had here,” said one of the officers 
who had taken a part in the expedition. A fortnight before 
we had no idea that an early move was contemplated, and 
indeed it was only on the 14th of March that the excitement 
began. That day Kitchener received a telegram ordering an 


74 


WITH KITCHENEE IN THE SOHDAH 


immediate advance on Dongola. W-e had expected it would 
take place soon; but there is no doubt that the sudden order 
was the result of an arrangement on the part of our govern- 
ment with Italy that we should relieve her from the pressure 
of the Dervishes round Kassala by effecting a diversion and 
obliging the enemy to send a large force down to Dongola to 
resist our advance. It was a busy time. The Sirdar came 
up to Wady Haifa, and the Egyptian troops were divided 
between that place, Sarras, and Akasheh. The 9th Soudan- 
ese were marched up from Suakim, and they did the distance 
to the Nile (one hundred and twenty miles) in four days. 
That was something like marching. Well, you saw Wady 
Haifa. For a month this place was quite as busy. Now its 
glories are gone. Two or three huts for the railway men, 
and the shelters for a company of Egyptians, represent the 
whole camp.” 

As they neared Ferket the officer said : There was a sharp 
fight out there on the desert. A large body of Dervishes 
advanced from Ferket. They were seen to leave by a cavalry 
patrol. As soon as the patrol reached camp all the available 
horse, two hundred and forty in number, started under Major 
Murdoch. Four miles out they came in sight of three hun- 
dred mounted Dervishes, with a thousand spearmen on foot. 
The ground was rough and unfavourable for a cavalry 
charge; so the,. cavalry retired to a valley between two hills, 
in order to get better ground. While they were doing so, 
however, the Dervishes charged down upon them. Murdoch 
rode at them at once, and there was a hand-to-hand fight that 
lasted for twenty minutes. Then the enemy turned and gal- 
loped off to the shelter of the spearmen. The troopers dis- 
mounted and opened fire, and on a regiment of Soudanese 
coming up the enemy drew off. Eighteen of the Dervishes 
were killed and eighty wounded. 

“ Our loss was very slight ; but the fight was a most satis- 
factory one, for it showed that the Egyptian cavalry had 
now sufficient confidence in themselves to face the Baggara. 


SOUTHWARD 


75 


Head-quarters came up to Akasheh on the 1st of June. The 
spies had kept the Intelligence Department well informed 
as to the state of things at Ferket : it was known that three 
thousand troops were there, led by fifty-seven Emirs. The 
ground was carefully reconnoitred, and all preparation made 
for an attack. It was certain that the Dervishes also had 
spies among the camel-drivers and camp-followers, but the 
Sirdar kept his intentions secret, and on the evening of June 
5th it was not known to any, save three or four of the prin- 
cipal officers, that he intended to attack on the following 
morning. It was because he was anxious to effect a complete 
surprise that he did not even bring up the FTorth Staff ord- 
shires. 

“ There were two roads to Ferket — one by the river, the 
other through the desert. The river column was the strong- 
est, and consisted of an infantry division with two field- 
batteries and two Maxims. The total strength of the desert 
column, consisting of the cavalry brigade, camel corps, a 
regiment of infantry, a battery of horse-artillery, and two 
Maxims — in all two thousand one hundred men — were to 
make a detour and come dovm upon the Nile to the south 
of Ferket, thereby cutting off the retreat of the enemy. 
Carrying two days^ rations, the troops started late in the 
afternoon of the 6th, and halted at nine in the evening three 
miles from Ferket. At half -past two they moved forward 
again, marching quietly and silently, and at half-past four 
deployed into line close to the enemy’s position. A few min- 
utes later the alarm was given, and the Dervishes, leaping to 
arms, discovered this formidable force in front of them, and 
at the same time found that their retreat was cut off by an- 
other large body of troops in their rear, while on the opposite 
bank of the river was a force of our Arab allies. 

Though they must have seen that their position was 
hopeless, the Dervishes showed no signs of fear: they fought 
with the desperation of rats in a trap. The Egyptians ad- 
vanced with steady volleys; the Baggara horsemen attacked 


76 WITH KITCHENEK IH THE SOHDAH 

them furiously, but were repulsed with heavy loss. There 
was hand-to-hand fighting among their huts, and the second 
brigade carried with the bayonet that rough hill that you see 
over there. It was all over by seven o’clock. Our loss was 
only twenty killed and eighty wounded. About one thou- 
sand of the Dervishes were killed, including their chief Emir 
and some forty of the others, while five hundred were taken 
prisoners. It was a great victory and a very important one, 
but it can hardly be said that it was glorious, as we outnum- 
bered them by three to one. Still, it was a heavy blow to the 
Dervishes, and the fact that the Khalifa was obliged to send 
troops down to the Nile to check an advance that had proved 
so formidable must have greatly relieved the pressure on the 
Italians at Kassala. There was a pause here. It was certain 
that we should have to meet a much stronger force before we 
got to Dongola. Well as the Egyptian troops had fought, it 
was thought advisable to give them a stronger backing. The 
heat was now tremendous, and cholera had broken out. We 
moved to Koshyeh, and there encamped. The only change 
we had was a terrific storm which almost washed us away. 
In the middle of August we managed to get the gun-boats up 
through the cataract, and were in hopes of advancing, when 
another storm carried away twenty miles of the railway, 
which by this time had come up as far as the cataract.” 

At Ginnis, twenty miles from Ferket, they passed the 
ground where, on the 31st of December, 1885, on the retire- 
ment of General Wolseley’s expedition. Generals Grenfel and 
Stevenson, with a force of Egyptian troops and three British 
regiments, encountered the Dervish army which the Khalifa 
had despatched under the Emir Nejumi, and defeated it. 
It was notable as being the first battle in which the newly 
raised Egyptian army met the Mahdists, and showed that, 
trained and disciplined by British officers, the Egyptian 
fellah was capable of standing against the Dervish of the 
desert. From this point the railway left the Nile, and for 
thirty miles crossed the desert. Another twenty miles, and 
they reached Fareeg. 


SOUTHWARD 


77 


“It was here/’ the officer said, “that the North Staff ord- 
shires came up and joined the Egyptians. The Dervishes had 
fallen back before we advanced after a halt at Sadeah, which 
we sha’n’t see, as the railway cuts across to Abu Fetmeh. 
We bivouacked five miles from their camp, and turned out 
at three next morning. The orders were passed by mouth, 
and we got off as silently as an army of ghosts. I shall never 
forget our disgust when a small cavalry force, sent on ahead 
to reconnoitre, reported that the Dervishes had abandoned 
the place during the night, and had crossed the river in native 
boats. It was a very clever move, at any rate, on the part of 
fellows who did not want to fight. There were we facing 
them, with our whole infantry and cavalry useless, and we 
had nothing available to damage the enemy except our artil- 
lery and the gun-boats. 

“ These opened fire, and the Dervishes replied heavily. 
They had earth-works, but the boats kept on pluckily till they 
got to a narrow point in the stream, when a couple of guns 
which had hitherto been hidden opened upon them at close 
range, while a strong force of Dervish infantry poured in 
such a hot fire that the boats had to fall back. After our 
field-guns had peppered the enemy for a bit the gun-boats 
tried again, but the fire was too hot for them, and the leading 
boat had to retire. Things did not look very bright till nine 
o’clock, when we found that at one point the river was forda- 
ble to a small island opposite the enemy’s lines. Four bat- 
teries and the Maxims at once moved over, with two com- 
panies of Soudanese, and opened fire. The distance across 
was but six hundred yards, and the fire was tremendous — 
shell, shrapnel, and rockets — ^while the Soudanese fired vol- 
leys and the Maxims maintained a shower of bullets. It 
seemed that nothing could stand against it, but the Dervishes 
stuck to their guns with great pluck. However, their fire 
was so far kept down that the three gun-boats succeeded in 
forcing their way up, and, passing the Dervish works, sank 
a steamer and a number of native boats. 


78 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


The Dervishes now began to give way, and the gun-boats 
steamed up the river, making for Dongola. The Dervishes, 
as soon as they had gone, reopened fire, and the duel con- 
tinued all day; but the great mass of the enemy soon left, 
and also made their way towards Dongola. It was awfully 
annoying being obliged to remain inactive on our side, and it 
was especially hard for the cavalry, who, if they could have 
got over, would have been able to cut up and disperse the 
enemy. The next morning the Dervishes were all gone, and 
that was practically the end of the fighting. The gun-boats 
went up and shelled Dongola, and when we got there, two 
days later, the Dervishes had had enough of it. Of course, 
there was a little fighting, but it was the effort of a party 
of fanatics rather than of an enemy who considered resist- 
ance possible. We were greeted with enthusiasm by the un- 
fortunate inhabitants, who had been subject to the Dervish 
tyranny. As a whole, however, they had not been badly 
treated here, and had been allowed to continue to cultivate 
their land, subject only to about the same taxation as they 
had paid to Egypt. Of course, from what they have done 
elsewhere, the comparative mildness of the conduct of the 
Dervishes was not due to any feeling of mercy, but to policy. 
As the most advanced position, with the exception of scat- 
tered and temporary posts lower down the river, it was nec- 
essary that there should be food for the considerable body of 
tribesmen encamped at Dongola, especially as an army in- 
vading Egypt would provide itself there with stores for the 
journey. It was therefore good policy to encourage the cul- 
tivators of land to stay there.” 

“ Thank you very much ! ” Gregory said, when the officer 
had concluded his sketch of the previous campaign. “ Of 
course I heard that we had beaten the Khalifa’s men and had 
taken Dongola, but the papers at Cairo gave no details. The 
Staffordshire regiment went down directly the place was 
taken, did they not ? ” 

Yes ; they had suffered heavily from cholera ; and as there 


SOUTHWARD 


79 


was now no fear that the Egyptians and Soudanese would 
prove unequal to withstanding a Dervish rush, there was no 
necessity for keeping them here.” 

At Abu Fetmeh they left the train and embarked in a 
steamer. Of the party that had left Assouan only four or 
five remained; the rest had been dropped at other stations 
on the road. 

The boat stopped but a few hours at Dongola, which had 
for a time been the head-quarters of the advanced force. 
Great changes had been made since the place was captured 
from the Dervishes. At that time the population had been 
reduced to a handful, and the natives who remained tilled 
but enough ground for their own necessities, for they knew 
that at any time a Dervish force might come along and 
sweep everything clear. But with th'e advent of the British, 
the fugitives who had scattered among the villages along the 
river soon poured in. 

Numbers of Greek traders arrived with camels and goods, 
and the town assumed an aspect of life and business. The 
General established a court of justice and appointed author- 
ities for the proper regulation of affairs, and by the time 
Gregory came up the town was showing signs of renewed 
prosperity. But the steamer stopped at Dongola only to land 
stores needed for the regiment stationed there. The head- 
quarters had months before been moved to Merawi, some 
eighty miles higher up, situated at the foot of the fourth 
cataract. 

Although he had enjoyed the journey, Gregory was glad 
when the steamer drew up against a newly constructed wharf 
at Merawi. Now he was to begin his duties, whatever they 
might be. At the wharf were a large number of Soudanese 
soldiers. A telegram from the last station they touched at 
had given notice of the hour at which the boat would arrive, 
and a battalion of native troops had marched down to assist 
in unloading the stores. A white officer had come down with 
them to superintend the operation, and the other officers at 


80 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


once went on shore to speak to him. Gregory had got all 
his traps together, and as the Soudanese poured on board he 
thought it better to remain with them, as, if his belongings 
once got scattered, there would* be little chance of his being 
able to collect them again. After a short time he went up 
to one of the native officers. 

“ This is my first visit here,” he said in Arabic, “ and as I 
have not brought up a servant with me I do not like to leave 
my baggage here while I go and report myself to General 
Hunter. Will you kindly tell me what I had better do? ” 

“ Certainly. I will place one of my corporals in charge of 
your things. It would be as well to get them ashore at once, 
as we shall want the decks clear in order that the men may 
work freely in getting the stores up from below. The cor- 
poral will see that your baggage is carried to the bank, to a 
spot where it will be out of the way, and will remain with it 
until you know where it is to be taken.” 

Thanking him for his civility, Gregory went on shore. 
The officer who had told him the story of the campaign was 
still talking to the Major who had come down with the blacks. 
As Gregory came up he said : “ I wondered what had become 
of you, Hilliard. I have been telling Major Sidney that a 
young lieutenant had come up to report himself to the Gen- 
eral for service.” 

I am glad to see you, sir,” the Major said, holding out his 
hand. Every additional white officer is a material gain, 
and I have no doubt that General Hunter will find plenty for 
you to do. I hear you can speak the negro language as well 
as Arabic. That will be specially useful here, for the natives 
are principally negro and speak very little Arabic. How 
about your baggage ? ” 

“ One of the native officers has undertaken to get it ashore, 
and to put a corporal in charge of it until I know where it 
is to go.” 

“ Well, Fladgate, as you are going to the General’s, perhaps 
you will take Mr. Hilliard with you and introduce him.” 


SOUTHWAKD 


81 


‘‘ With pleasure. Now, Mr. Hilliard, let us be off at once; 
the sun is getting hot, and the sooner we are under shelter 
the better.” 

Ten minutes’ walk took them to the house formerly occu- 
pied by the Egyptian Governor of the town, where General 
Hunter now had his head-quarters. The General, who was 
a brevet-colonel in the British Army, had joined the Egyp- 
tian Army in 1888. He had, as a captain in the Lancashire 
regiment, taken part in the Nile Expedition, 1884-85, had 
been severely wounded at the battle of Ginnis, and again at 
Toski, where he commanded a brigade. He was still a com- 
paratively young man. He had a broad forehead, and an 
intellectual face that might have betokened a student rather 
than a soldier ; but he was celebrated in the army for his per- 
sonal courage and disregard of danger, and was adored by his 
black soldiers. He rose from the table at which he was sit- 
ting as Captain Eladgate came in. 

“ I am glad to see you back again,” he said. I hope you 
have quite shaken off the fever ? ” 

“ Quite, General. I feel thoroughly fit for work again. 
Allow me to present to you Mr. Hilliard, who has just re- 
ceived a commission as lieutenant in the Egyptian Army. 
He has a letter from the Sirdar to you.” 

Well, I will not detain you now. Captain Eladgate. You 
will find your former quarters in readiness for you. Dinner 
at the usual time; then you shall tell me the news of Cairo. 
Now, Mr. Hilliard,” and he turned to Gregory, ‘‘ pray take a 
seat. This is your first experience in soldiering, I suppose ? ” 

Yes, sir.” 

I think you are the first white officer who has been ap- 
pointed who has not had experience in our own army first. 
You have not been appointed to any particular battalion, 
have you ? ” 

‘^No, sir; I think I have come out to make myself gener- 
ally useful. These are the letters that I was to hand to you— 
one is from the Sirdar himself, the other is from his chief 
of the staff, and this letter is from Captain Ewart.” 


82 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


The General read the Sirdar’s letter first; he then opened 
that from the chief of the staff. This was the more bulky 
of the two, and contained several enclosures. 

“ Ah ! this relates to you,” the General said, as, after 
glancing over the two official despatches, he read through 
the letter of Captain Ewart, who was a personal friend of 
his. The latter had given a full account of Gregory’s his- 
tory, and said that the Sirdar had especially asked him to 
put him in the way of things; that he had seen a great deal 
of him on the journey up, and was very greatly pleased with 
him. “ The lad is a perfect gentleman,” he said, which is 
certainly astonishing, he being a product of Cairo. I con- 
sider him in all respects — except, of course, a classical educa- 
tion — fully equal to the average young officer on first joining. 
He is very modest and unassuming, and will, I feel sure, 
perform with credit any work that you may give him to do.” 

“ I see,” he said, laying it down, you have only joined the 
army temporarily and with a special purpose, and I am told 
to utilize your services as I think best. You have a perfect 
knowledge of Arabic and of the negro dialect. That will be 
very useful, for though we all speak Arabic, few speak the 
negro language, which is more commonly used here. Your 
father fell with Hicks Pasha, I am told, and you have joined 
us with the object of obtaining news as to the manner in 
which he met his death ? ” 

“ That is so, sir. It was always my mother’s wish that I 
should, when I was old enough, come up to the Soudan to 
make enquiries. As my father was a good Arabic scholar, 
my mother always entertained a faint hope that he might 
have escaped, especially as we know that a good many of the 
Egyptian soldiers were not killed, but were taken prisoners 
and made to serve in the Mahdi’s army.” 

Yes, there are several of them among the Khalifa’s artil- 
lerymen, but I am very much afraid that none of the officers 
were spared. You see, they kept together in a body and died 
fighting to the last.” 


SOUTHWAKD 


83 


‘‘I have hardly any hopes myself, sir; still, as my father 
was interpreter he might not have been with the others, but 
in some other part of the square that was attacked.” 

That is possible ; but he was a white man, and in the heat 
of the battle I don’t think that the Dervishes would have 
made any exception. You see, there were two correspondents 
with Hicks, and neither of them has ever been heard of, and 
they must, I should think, have joined in that last desperate 
charge of his. Well, for the present I must make you a sort 
of extra aide-de-camp, and what with one thing and another 
I have no doubt that I shall find plenty for you to do. As 
such you will of course be a member of head-quarters mess, 
and therefore escape the trouble of providing for yourself. 
You have not brought a servant up with you, I suppose? ” 

‘‘Ho, sir; Captain Ewart, who most kindly advised me as 
to my outfit, said that if I could find an intelligent native 
here it would be better than taking a man from Cairo.” 

“ Quite right ; and the fellows one picks up at Cairo are 
generally lazy and almost always dishonest. The men you 
get here may not know much, but are ready enough to learn, 
and if well treated will go through fire and water for their 
master. Go down to the stores and tell the officer in charge 
there that I shall be glad if he will pick out two or three fel- 
lows from whom you may choose a servant.” 

When Gregory had given his message the officer said: 
“You had better pick out one for yourself, Mr. Hilliard. 
Strength and willingness to work are the points I keep my 
eye upon, and, except for the foremen of the gangs, their 
intelligence does not interest me. You had better take a 
turn among the parties at work and pick out a man for 
yourself.” 

Gregory was not long in making his choice. He selected 
a young fellow who, although evidently exerting himself to 
the utmost, was clearly incapable of doing his share in carry- 
ing the heavy bales and boxes that were easily handled by 
older men. He had a pleasant face, and looked more intelli- 
gent than most of the others. 


84 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


To what tribe do you belong ? ” Gregory asked him. 

“ The Jaalin. I come from near Metemmeb.” 

‘‘ I want a servant. You do not seem to be strong enough 
for this work, but if you will be faithful, and do what I tell 
you, I will try you.” 

The young fellow’s face lit up. “ I will be faithful, bey. 
It would be kind of you to take me. I am not at my full 
strength yet, and although I try my hardest I cannot do as 
much as strong men, and then I am abused. I will be very 
faithful, and if you do not find me willing to do all that you 
tell me, you can send me back to work here.” 

Well, come along with me then.” 

He took him to the officer. 

have chosen this man, sir. Can I take him away at 
once ? ” 

“Certainly; he has been paid up to last night.” 

“ Thank you very much ! I will settle with him for to-day.” 

And, followed by the young tribesman, he went to the head- 
quarters camp, near which an empty hut was assigned to him. 


CHAPTEK VI 

GREGORY VOLUNTEERS 

T he hut of which Gregory took possession was construct- 
ed of dry mud. The roof was of poles, on which were 
thickly laid boughs and palm leaves, and on these a layer of 
clay a foot thick. An opening in the wall eighteen inches 
square served as a window. Hear the door the floor was 
littered with rubbish of all kinds. 

“ What is your name ? ” 

“ Zaki.” 

“ Well, Zaki, the first thing is to clear out all this rubbish 
and sweep the floor as clean as you can. I am going down to 
the river to get my baggage up. Can you borrow a shovel 


GEEGORT VOLUNTEERS 


85 


or something of that sort from one of the natives here ? or, if 
he will sell it, buy one. I will pay when I return; it will 
always come in useful. If you cannot get a shovel, a hoe will 
do. Ah ! I had better give you a dollar, the man might not 
trust you.” 

He then walked down to the river, and found the black 
corporal sitting tranquilly by the side of his baggage. The 
man stood up and saluted, and on Gregory saying that he 
had now a house, at once told ofi two soldiers to carry the 
things. 

Arriving at the hut he found Zaki hard at work shovelling 
the rubbish through the doorway. Just as he came up, the 
boy brought down his tool with a crash upon a little brown 
creature that was scuttling away. 

“ What is that, Zaki ? ” 

“ That is a scorpion, bey ; I have killed four of them.” 

“ That is not at all pleasant,” Gregory said ; “ there may be 
plenty of them up among the boughs overhead.” 

Zaki nodded. “ Plenty of creatures,” he said, “ some 
snakes.” 

“ Then we will smoke them out before I go in. When you 
have got the rubbish out, make a fire in the middle, wet some 
leaves and things and put them on, and we will hang a blanket 
over the window and shut the door. I will moisten some 
powder and scatter it among the leaves, and the sulphur will 
help the smoke to bring them down.” 

This was done, the door closed, and as it did not fit at all 
tightly the cracks were filled with some damp earth from the 
water-course. 

“ What did you pay for the shovel, Zaki ? ” 

^‘Half a dollar, bey; here is the other half.” 

“ Well, you had better go and buy some things for your- 
self. To-morrow I will make other arrangements. Get a 
fire going out here. There is a sauce-pan and a kettle, so you 
can boil some rice or fry some meat.” 

Gregory then went again to the officer who was acting as 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 


quarter-master. “ I have been speaking to the General,” the 
latter said. “ You will mess with the staff; the dinner hour 
is seven o’clock. I am sure you will soon feel at home.” 

Gregory now strolled through the camp. The troops were 
in little mud huts of their own construction, as these in the 
heat of the' day were much cooler than tents. The sun was 
getting low, and the Soudanese troops were all occupied in 
cooking, mending their clothes, sweeping the streets between 
the rows of huts, and other light duties. They seemed to 
Gregory as full of fun and life as a party of school-boys — 
laughing, joking, and playing practical tricks on each other. 
The physique of some of the regiments was splendid, the men 
averaging over six feet in height, and being splendidly built. 
Other regiments, recruited among different tribes, were not 
so tall, but their sturdy figures showed them to be capable 
of any effort they might be called upon to make. One of the 
officers came out of his tent as he passed. 

“ You are a new arrival, I think, sir? ” he said; “ we have 
so few white officers here that one spots a fresh face at once.” 

Yes, I only arrived two or three hours ago. My name is 
Hilliard. I am not attached to any regiment, but, as I speak 
the languages well. General Hunter is going, so he said, to 
make me generally useful. I only received my commission 
a few days before leaving Cairo.” 

‘^Well, come in and have a soda and whisky, the heat out 
here is frightful. You can tell me the last news from Cairo 
and when we are going to move.” 

“I shall be happy to come in and have a chat,” Gregory 
said, “ but I do not drink anything. I have been brought up 
in Cairo and am accustomed to heat, and I find that drinking 
only makes one more thirsty.” 

believe it does,” the other said, “especially when the 
liquid is almost as hot as one is one’s self. Will you sit down 
on that box? Chairs are luxuries that we do not indulge in 
here. Well, have you heard anything about a move?” 

“Nothing; but the officers I have spoken to all seem to 


GREGOEY VOLUNTEERS 


87 


think that it will soon begin. A good many came up with 
me to Wady Haifa and the stations on the river, and I heard 
that all who had sufficiently recovered wei*e under orders to 
rejoin very shortly.” 

“ Yes, I suppose it won’t be long. Of course we know 
nothing here, and I don’t expect we shall till the order comes 
for us to start. This is not the time of year when one expects 
to be on the move, and if we do go, it is pretty certain that 
it is because Kitchener has made up his mind for a dash 
forward. You see, if we take Abu Hamed and drive the 
Dervishes away, we can at once push the railway on to that 
place; and as soon as it is done the troops can be brought 
up and an advance made to Berber, if not farther, during the 
cool season — if you can ever call it a cool season here.” 

“ Is there any great force at Abu Hamed ? ” 

. Ho; nothing that could stand against this for a moment. 
Their chief force outside Omdurman is at Metemmeh under 
Mahmud, the Khalifa’s favourite son. You see, the Jaalin 
made fools of themselves. Instead of waiting until we could 
lend them a hand, they revolted as soon as we took Dongola, 
and the result was that Mahmud came down and pretty 
well wiped them out. They defended themselves stoutly at 
Metemmeh, but had no chance against such a host as he 
brought with him. The town was taken, and its defenders, 
between two and three thousand fighting men, were all mas- 
sacred, together with most of the women and children. By 
the accounts brought down to us by men who got away, it 
must have been an even more horrible business than usual; 
and the Dervishes are past-masters in the art of massacre. 
However, I think that their course is nearly up. Of late a 
good many fugitives from Kordofan have arrived here, and 
they say that there will be a general revolt there when they 
hear that we' have given the Dervishes a heavy thrashing.” 

And where do you think the great fight is likely to take 
place ? ” Gregory asked. 

“ Not this side of Metemmeh. Except at Abu Hamed we 


88 WITH KITCHEHEK IH THE SOUDAN 

hear of no other strong' Dervish force between this and Om- 
durman. If Mahmud thinks himself strong enough, no 
doubt he will fightVbuf ii\e and the Khalifa know their 
business, he will fall back and, with the forces at Omdurman, 
fight one big battle. The two armies. together will, from 
what we hear, amount to sixty or sevent^thbusand, and there 
is no doubt whatever that with all their faults the beggars 
can fight. It will be a tough affair, but I believe we shall 
have some British troops here to help before the final ad- 
vance. We can depend now on both the Soudanese and the 
Egyptians to fight hard, but there are not enough of them. 
The odds would be too heavy, and the Sirdar is not a man 
to risk failure. But with a couple of brigades of British 
infantry there can be no doubt what the result will be, and 
I fancy that if we beat them in one big fight it will be all 
up with Mahdism. 

“ It is only because the poor beggars of tribesmen regard 
the Dervishes as invincible that they have put up so long with 
their tyranny. But the rising of the Jaalin, and the news 
we get from Kordofan, show that the moment they hear the 
Dervishes are beaten and Khartoum is in our hands there 
will be a general rising, and the Dervishes will be pretty well 
exterminated. We all hope that Mahmud won’t fight, for if 
he does, and we beat him, the Khalifa and his lot may lose 
heart and retire before we get to Omdurman, and, once away, 
the tremendous business of trying to follow him will confront 
us. Here we have got the river and the railway, but we have 
no land carriage for an army, and he might keep on falling 
back to the great lakes for anything that we could do to 
overtake him. So we all hope that Mahmud will retire to 
Omdurman without fighting, and with such a host as the 
Khalifa would then have he would be certain to give battle 
before abandoning his capital.” 

“ They are fine-looking fellows, these blacks,” Gregory 
said. 

They are splendid fellows — they love fighting for fight- 


GEEGOKY VOLUNTEERS 


89 


ing’s sake. It is in their opinion the only worthy occupation 
for a man, and they have shown themselves worthy to fight 
by the side of our men. They have a perfect confidence in 
us, and would, I believe, go anywhere we led them. They say 
themselves, ^ We are never afraid — just like English.^ ” 

There seem to be a good many women about the camps.” 

^^Yes, their women follow them wherever they go; they 
cook for them, and generally look after them. They are as 
warlike as their husbands, and encourage them, when they 
go out to battle, with their applause and curious quavering 
cries. The men get very little pay; but as they are provided 
with rations, and draw a certain amount for the women, it 
costs next to nothing, and I fancy that having the wives with 
them pays well. I believe they would rather be killed than 
come back and face their reproaches. I could not wish to 
have more cheery or better fellows with me. They never 
grumble, they are always merry, and really they seem to be 
tireless; they practically give no trouble whatever, and it is 
good to see how they brighten up when there is a chance of a 
fight.” 

I hope I shall 'see them at it before long,” Gregory said. 

“ Now I must be going, for I have to change, and put on my 
mess uniform before dinner. I am rather nervous about 
that, for I am not accustomed to dine with generals.” 

“You will find it all very pleasant,” the other said. 
“Hunter is a splendid fellow, and is adored by his men. 
His staff are all comparatively young men, with none of the 
stiffness of the British staff-officer about them. We are all 
young — there is scarcely a man with the rank of captain in 
the British Army out here; we are all majors or colonels in 
the Egyptian Army, but most of us are subalterns in our own 
regiments. It is good training for us. At home a subaltern 
is merely a machine to carry out orders ; he is told to do this, 
and he does it; for him to think for himself would be a 
heinous offence. He is altogether without responsibility and ' 
without initiative, and by the time he becomes a field-officer 


90 WITH KITCHEHER IN’ THE SOUDAN 

he is hidebound. He has never thought for himself, and he 
can’t be expected to begin to do so after working for ^enty 
years like a machine. You will see, if we ever have a big 
war, that will be our weak point. If it wasn’t for wars like 
this, and our little wars in India, where men do learn to think 
and take responsibility, I don’t know where our general offi- 
cers would get their training. Well, you must be going. 
Good-bye! we shall often meet; there are so few of us here 
that we are always running against each other. I won’t ask 
you to dine with us for a few days, no doubt you would like 
to get accustomed to head-quarters mess first. Of course 
Hunter and the brigade staff dine together; while we have 
little regimental messes among ourselves, which I prefer. 
When there are only three or four of us, one can sit down 
in one’s shirt sleeves, whereas at the brigade mess one must, 
of course, turn up in uniform, which in this climate is 
stifling.” 

The meal was a more pleasant one than Gregory had 
anticipated. On board the steamer he had, of course, 
dined with the other officers, and he found little difference 
here. Ten sat down, including the principal medical officer 
and a captain — the head of the station intelligence depart- 
ment, Major Wingate, being at present at Wady Haifa. 
Except for the roughness of the surroundings, it was like 
a regimental mess, and the presence of the General com- 
manding in no way acted as a damper to the conversation. 
General Hunter had, before sitting down, introduced him 
to all the members with a few pleasant words, which had put 
him at his ease. Gregory had, on his way up, learned a good 
deal as to the officers who were down at Cairo for their health, 
and he was able to say who were convalescent and who had 
sailed, or were on the point of sailing, for England. The 
table was formed of two long benches, and had been con- 
structed by the engineers; it was laid under a large tent, of 
which the walls had been removed to give a free passage 
of air. 


GEEGOEY YOLUNTEEES 


91 


Although scarcely up to the standard of a mess dinner at 
home, it was by no means a bad one, consisting of soup, fish 
from the river, a joint of beef at one end and of mutton at 
the other, curried kidneys, sweet omelettes and cheese, whisky 
with water or soda to drink at dinner; and after the meal 
four bottles of claret were placed on the table, and cigars or 
pipes lit. Half an hour later four of the party sat down to 
whist, and the rest, going outside the tent, sat or threw them- 
selves down on the sand, and smoked or chatted till it was 
time to turn in. Gregory’s first' step next morning was to 
buy a horse. This he purchased from some fugitives who 
had come down from Kordofan. It was a good animal, 
though in poor condition, and would soon pick up flesh when 
well attended and fed. To accustom himself to riding, Greg- 
ory went out on it for a couple of hours every morning, 
getting up before daybreak, so as to take exercise before the 
work of the day began. He also followed the example of the 
officers of the Egyptian regiments, and purchased a camel for 
the conveyance of his own baggage. 

“ You will find it a great advantage,” one of them said to 
him. “ Of course times may arrive when you will have to 
leave it behind, but as a rule there is no trouble about it at 
all. You hire a native driver, who costs practically nothing, 
and he keeps with the baggage; no one asks any questions, 
and when you halt for a day or two you have comforts. Of 
course with a British regiment you are cut down to the last 
ounce, but with us it is altogether different. There being 
only three or four white officers to each regiment, the few 
extra camels in the train make no appreciable difference. 
Besides, these black fellows consider it quite natural and 
proper that their white officers should fare in a very different 
way from themselves, whereas a British Tommy would be 
inclined to grumble if he saw his officers enjoying luxuries 
while he himself had to rough it.” 

As the horse only cost three pounds and the camel only 
five, Gregory’s store of money was not seriously affected by 


92 


WITH KITCHEN-ER IN’ THE SOUDAH 


the purchases. For both animals, although in poor condi- 
tion from their journey from Kordofan, a fortnight’s rest 
and good feeding did wonders. ^Zaki had not much to do, 
but Gregory was well satisfied with the selection he had made. 
He looked after and groomed the horse, saw that the native 
with the camel took care of it, and went down regularly to 
the river to water it every evening, while he himself did the 
same with the horse. He always had a jug of cold tea ready 
for Gregory whenever he came in, and the floor of the tent 
was kept scrupulously clean. Zaki’s only regret was that he 
could not do more for his master, but he was consoled by 
being told that the time would soon come when he would be 
more actively engaged. 

From the first day of his arrival Gregory was kept fully 
employed. Sometimes he assisted the officer of the Intelli- 
gence Department in interviewing fugitives who had arrived 
from Berber and other points on the river, from Kordofan, 
or from villages on the White Kile. Sometimes he carried 
messages from the General to the officers in command of the 
two Egyptian brigades. He had to listen to disputes between 
natives returning to their homes from which they had been 
driven by the Dervishes and those they found in possession 
of their land. He took notes of the arguments on both sides, 
and submitted them to the General for his decision. The 
work would have been trifling in any other climate, but was 
exhausting in the sweltering heat of the day, and he was not 
sorry when the sun sank and he could take off his khaki tunic 
and go down to the river for a swim. 

One evening, as they were sitting after dinner. General 
Hunter said : “ It is very annoying that while these natives 
making their way down the country are able to tell us a good 
deal of what is taking place on the Kile from Omdurman 
down to Metemmeh, and while we also get news of the state 
of things at Berber and Abu Hamed, we know nothing what- 
ever of Mahmud’s intentions, nor indeed anything of what is 
doing at Metemmeh itself since it was captured by the Der- 


GREGOET VOLUNTEERS 


93 


vishes and, as we heard, the whole population destroy ^d. Of 
course Mahmud has the choice of three courses, lie can 
stay where he is, he can march his whole force to Berber, or 
he can advance against us here. I don’t suppose that he has 
any idea of the progress the railway is making from Wady 
Haifa. He may have heard, and no doubt he has heard, that 
we are making a road of some sort across the desert in the 
direction of Abu Hamed, but of the capabilities of the rail- 
way he can form no idea, and may well believe that the march 
of an army across what is practically a waterless desert is a 
matter of impossibility. 

“On the other hand, he knows that we are gathering a 
considerable force here, and, with his limited knowledge, 
doubtless supposes that we are going to cross the Bayuda 
desert to Metemmeh as the Gordon relief column did; or 
that, if we are not coming that way, we intend to follow the 
river bank up to Berber. Unquestionably his best course, if 
he considers, as we may be sure he does, that the force under 
his command is strong enough to crush us here, would be to 
push across the desert and fall upon us before reinforcements 
arrive. But it is reported, and I believe truly, that the 
Khalifa, his father, has positively refused to let him do so; 
still, sons have disobeyed their fathers before now. 

“ There is, it is true, the difficulty of water ; but that is not 
so serious in the case of a Dervish force as it is with us. In 
the first place, they can march twice as far as we can ; in the 
second place, they are accustomed to go a long time without 
water, and are but little affected by the heat. Lastly, they 
have nothing to carry except their weapons, a few handfuls 
of dates, and their water-gourds. Still, we know that the 
forces that have one after another arrived here have been 
greatly weakened by the journey. However, Mahmud may 
attempt it, for he must know from his spies here, that we 
have at present no such land transport as would be required 
were we intending to advance across the desert. He may 
therefore move at least a portion of his force to Berber, trust- 


94 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 


ing to the fact that, even did we make an advance south from 
here with the intention of cutting off his retreat to Khar- 
toum, he would be able to reach Metemmeh before we could 
get there. 

“Undoubtedly, a British general, if commanding a force 
constituted as Mahmud’s is, would make a dash across the 
desert and fall upon us, unless indeed he felt certain that 
after the difficulties we encountered last time we attempted 
to take the desert route, we should be certain to advance by 
the river step by step, continuing the policy that we have 
followed since we began to push forward from Assouan. 
Mahmud is in a very difficult position. He is controlled by 
his father at Khartoum. Among those with him are many 
important Emirs, men of almost equal rank with himself, 
and he could hardly hope that whatever decision he might 
personally arrive at would be generally accepted by all ; and 
those who opposed him would do so with all the more force 
as they could declare that in making any movement he was 
acting in opposition to his father’s orders. However, our 
total ignorance as to Mahmud’s plans and intentions is most 
unfortunate; but it can hardly be helped, for naturally the 
natives coming down from Kordofan give Metemmeh a very 
wide berth. As to sending up any of the natives here to find 
out what is going on, it is out of the question, for they would 
be detected at. once, as their language is so different from 
that of the Baggara.” 

Later on the General retired to his quarters. Gregory 
went there. “Can I speak to you for a few minutes, sir?” 
he asked. 

“ Certainly, Mr. Hilliard. What can I do for you ? ” 

“ I have been thinking over what you were saying regard- 
ing information as to Mahmud’s intentions. With your 
permission I am ready to undertake to go into his camp, and 
to find out what the general opinion is as to his plans.” 

“ Impossible, Mr. Hilliard ! I admire your courage in 
making the offer, but it would be going to certain death.” 


GREGOEY VOLUNTEERS 


95 


“I do not think so, sir. I talk Baggara better than the 
negro dialect that passes here. It is among the Baggara 
that I am likely to learn something of my father’s fate; and 
as the old nurse from whom I learnt these languages had 
been for a long time among that tribe, she devoted, at my 
mother’s request, more time to teaching me their Arab dia- 
lect than any other, and I am convinced that I could pass 
unsuspected among them as far as language is concerned. 
There is no great difference between Arab features and Euro- 
pean, and I think that when I am stained brown and have my 
head partly shaved, according to their fashion, there will be 
little fear of my being detected. As to costume, that is easy 
enough. I have not seen any of the Dervishes yet, but the 
natives who have come in from El Obeid or any other neigh- 
bourhood where they are masters, could give me an account 
of their dress, and the way in which they wear the patches 
on their clothes, which are the distinguishing mark of the 
Mahdists.” 

“ I could tell you that ; so could any of the officers. Their 
dress differs very little from the ordinary Arab costume. 
Nearly all wear loose white trousers coming down to the 
ankles. In some cases these are the usual baggy Eastern arti- 
cles, in others the legs are separate. They almost all wear the 
white garment coming down to the knee, with of course a sash 
round the waist, and sleeves reaching down to the elbow or 
an inch or two below it. Some wear turbans, but the ma- 
jority simply skull-caps. I could get the dress made up in 
three or four hours. But the risk is altogether too great, 
and I do not think that I should be justified in allowing you 
to undertake it.” 

I really do not think that there will be any great danger, 
sir. If there were no great object to be gained it would be 
different; but in view of the great importance, as you said 
this evening, of learning Mahmud’s intentions, the risk of 
one life being lost, even were it great, is nothing. As you 
say, the Sirdar’s plans might be greatly affected by the course 


96 


WITH KITCHENEE IN’ THE SOUDAN 


Mahmud adopts, and in such a case the life of a subaltern 
like myself is a matter scarcely to be considered. From 
childhood I have been preparing to go among the Dervishes, 
and this is what I propose doing as soon as Khartoum is re- 
captured. Therefore, sir, if by anticipating my work by a 
few months, or possibly a year, I can render a service to the 
army, I would gladly undertake it if you will give me per- 
mission to do so.” 

The General was for a minute or two silent. “ Well, 
Hilliard,” he said at last, on thinking it over as you put it, 
I do not know that I should be justified in refusing your 
offer; it is a very gallant one, and may possibly meet with 
success.” 

“ Thank you, sir ! I shall be really glad to enter upon the 
work I have looked forward to. Although it may have no 
direct bearing upon the discovery of my father’s fate, it will 
be a start in that direction. Do you think that I had better 
go mounted or on foot?” 

“ I should say certainly on horseback, but there is no occa- 
sion for any hasty determination; every step should be 
carefully considered, and we should, as far as possible, foresee 
and provide for every emergency that may arise. Think it 
over well yourself. Some time to-morrow I will discuss it 
again with you.” 

Gregory went straight back to his hut. 

Come in, Zaki, I want to speak to you. Light the lamp 
and shut the door. Kow sit down there. Do you know the 
country between this and Metemmeh ? ” 

“Yes, master; I travelled there with my father six years 
ago.” 

“ Is it difficult to find the way ? ” 

“ It is not difficult. There are many signs of the passage 
of caravans. There are skeletons of the camels of the Eng- 
lish expedition ; there are very many of them. It would not 
be difficult, even for one who has never passed them, to find 
the way.” 


GEEGOEY VOLUNTEEES 


97 


‘^And there are wells?” 

“ There are wells at Howeyat and Abu Haifa, at Gakdul 
and Abu Klea, also at Gubat.” 

“ That is to say, water will be found nearly every day ? ” 

“ Quite every day, to one on horseback. The longest dis- * 
tance is from Gakdul to Abu Klea, but that would not be too 
long for mounted men, and could even be done by a native 
on foot in a long day’s march.” 

“Do you know whether Mahmud’s army is in Metemmeh 
or outside the town?” 

“ From what I have heard, most of the Dervish force is 
on the hills behind the town. They say Metemmeh is full 
of dead, and that even the Dervishes do not care to live 
there.” 

“ The Baggara are mostly mounted, are they not ? ” 

“ Most of them are so, though there are some on foot. The 
leaders of the tribesmen who fight for the Khalifa are all 
on horseback, but most of the army are on foot.” 

“You do not speak the Baggara language, I suppose?” 

Zaki shook his head. “I know a little Arabic, but not 
much.” 

“I suppose most of the Arab tribes in the Soudan speak 
a dialect very much like the Baggara ? ” 

“Yes; it is everywhere Arabic, and there is but little dif- 
ference ; they can all understand each other and talk together. 
May your servant ask why you put these questions ? ” 

“ Yes, Zaki, but you must not mention what I tell you to 
a soul.” 

“ Zaki will be as silent as the grave.” 

“ Well, I am going up dressed as a Mahdist. I can speak 
the Baggara tongue well. I am going to try and find out 
what they are going to do ; whether they will march to Ber- 
ber, or come here, or remain at Metemmeh.” 

Zaki stared at his master in speechless amazement. Greg- 
ory could not help smiling at the expression of his face. 

“ There does not seem much difficulty in it,” he said. “ I 


98 


WITH KITCTIENER IN THE SOUDAN 


can speak with you in the dialect of Dongola, but the Bag- 
gara language is much easier to me, because I have been 
accustomed to speak Arabic since I was a child. Of course 
my skin will be dyed and I shall wear the Dervish dress. 

• There is no difficulty in this matter.” 

But they would cut you in pieces, my lord, if they found 
out that you were a white.” 

“No doubt they would, but there is no reason why they 
should find that out. It would be much more dangerous for 
you to go into their camp than it would be for me. In the 
first place, you can scarcely speak any Arabic; and in the 
second, they would see by your features that you are one of 
the Jaalin. Whereas my features, when stained, would be 
much more like those of the Arabs than yours would. 

“Where should I be most likely to meet the Dervishes 
first ? ” 

“ I do not think any of them are much this side of Metem- 
meh at present. Sometimes parties ride down to Gakdul, 
and they have even passed on till they are within sight of this 
camp ; but when they have found out that the wells are still 
unoccupied and the army here quiet, they go back again.” 

“ If I go on horseback, Zaki, I shall want someone with me 
who will act as a guide, and who will look after his horse and 
mine at some place near the river, where he can find a hiding- 
place while I am away in the Dervish camp.” 

“Would you take me, my lord?” Zaki said quickly. 

“ I would much rather take you than anyone else if you 
are willing to go, Zaki.” 

“ Surely I will go with my lord,” the native said. “No 
one has ever been so good to me as he has. If my lord is 
killed I am ready to die with him. He may count on me to 
do anything that he requires, even to go with him into the 
Dervish camp. I might go as a slave, my lord.” 

“ That would not do, Zaki. I do not wish to travel as a 
person who could ride attended by a slave. People might 
say, who is this man? where does he come from? how is it 


GREGOKY VOLUNTEERS 


99 


that no one knows a man who rides with a slave? My great 
object will be to enter the camp quietly as one who has but 
left half an hour before. When I have once entered it, and 
they ask whence I came, I must tell them some likely story 
that I have made up : as, for example, that I have come from 
El Obeid, and that I am an officer of the governor there; 
that, finding he could not get away himself, he yielded to my 
request that I might come and help to drive the infidels into 
the sea.^’ 

Zaki nodded. That would be a good tale, my lord, for 
men who have escaped from El Obeid and have come here 
have said that the Khalifa’s troops there have not been called 
to join him at Omdurman, for it is necessary to keep a strong 
force there, as many of the tribes of the province would rise 
in rebellion if they had the chance ; therefore you would not 
be likely to meet anyone from El Obeid in Mahmud’s camp.” 

“ How is it, Zaki, that when so many in the Soudan have 
suffered at the hands of the Dervishes, they not only remain 
quiet, but supply the largest part of the Khalifa’s army ? ” 

“ Because, my lord, none of them can trust the others. It 
is madness for one tribe to rise as the Jaalin did at Metem- 
meh; the Dervishes wiped them out from the face of the 
earth. Many follow him because they see that Allah has 
always given victory to the Mahdists; therefore the Mahdi 
must be his prophet. Others join his army because their 
villages have been destroyed and their fields wasted, and they 
see no other way of saving themselves from starvation. 
There are many who fight because they are fond of fighting. 
You see how gladly they take service with you and fight 
against their own countrymen, although you are Christians. 
Suppose you were to conquer the Khalifa to-morrow, half his 
army would enlist in your service if you would take them. 
A man who would be contented to till his fields, if he could 
do so in peace and quiet, fears that he may see his produce 
eaten by others and his house set on fire, and would rather 
leave his home and fight — he cares not against whom. The 


100 WITH KITCHENEE IN THE SOITDAH 

Mahdist army are badly fed and badly paid; they can scarce 
keep life together. But in the Egyptian Army the men are 
well taken care of; they have their rations and their pay. 
They say that if they are wounded, or lose a limb and are no 
more able to fight, they receive a pension. Is it wonderful 
that they should come to you and be faithful ? 

Well, Zaki, we won’t talk any longer now. It is agreed, 
then, that if I go on this expedition you will accompany 
me? ” 

“ Certainly, master ; wherever you go I am ready to go. 
Whatever happens to you will, I hope, happen to me.” 

On the following afternoon Gregory was sent for. “ I have 
given the matter a good deal of thought, Mr. Hilliard,” the 
General said, and have decided to accept your offer. I 
suppose that you have been thinking the matter over. Do 
you decide to go on foot or mounted?” 

On horseback, sir. My boy is perfectly willing to go with 
me. He knows the way and the position of the wells on the 
road. My plan is that when we get near Metemmeh he shall 
remain with the horses somewhere near the river, and I shall 
enter the camp, on foot. I am less likely to be noticed that 
way. If questioned, my story will be that my father was at 
El Obeid, and that the Governor there is by the Khalifa’s 
orders holding his force in hand to put down any outbreaks 
there may be in the province, and that wishing to fight 
against the infidel I have come on my own account. If I am 
asked why I had not come on horseback, I shall say that I 
had ridden to within the last two or three miles, and that the 
horse had then died. But I do not expect to be questioned 
at all, as one man on foot is as nothing in an army of twenty 
or thirty thousand gathered from all over the Soudan.” 

“You quite understand, Mr. Hilliard, that you are taking 
your life in your hands, and that there is no possibility what- 
ever of our doing anything for you if you get into trouble ? ” 

“ Quite, sir. If I am detected I shall probably be killed at 
once. I do not think that there is more risk in it than in 


GREGOKY VOLUNTEERS 


101 


going into battle. As I have told you, I have, so far as I 
know, no relatives in the world, and there will be no one to 
grieve if I never come back again. As to the clothes, I can 
easily buy them from one of the natives here. Many of 
them are dressed in the garments of the Dervishes who were 
killed when we came up here, except, of course, that the 
patches were taken off. I will get my man to buy a suit for 
himself and one for me ; it would be better than having new 
clothes made, for even if these were dirtied they would not 
look old. When he has bought the clothes he can give them 
a good washing, and then get a piece of stuff to sew on as 
patches. 

I am afraid, sir, that there will be little chance of my 
being able to obtain any absolute news of Mahmud’s inten- 
tions, but only to glean general opinion in the camp. It is 
not likely that the news of any intended departure would be 
kept a secret up till the last moment among the Dervishes as 
it would be here.” 

Quite so,” the General agreed. We may take it as 
certain that the matter would be one of common talk. Of 
course Mahmud and his principal advisers might change 
their minds at any moment; still, I think that were it in- 
tended to make a move against us or to Berber, it would be 
generally known. I may tell you that we do not intend to 
cross the Bayuda desert. We shall go up the river, but this 
is a secret that will be kept till the last moment. And before 
we start we shall do all in our power to spread a belief that 
we are going to advance to Metemmeh. We know that they 
are well informed by their spies here of our movements. We 
shall send a strong force to make a reconnaissance as far as 
Gakdul. This will appear to be a preliminary step to our 
advance, and should keep Mahmud inactive till too late. He 
will not dare advance to Berber, because he will be afraid of 
our cutting him off from Omdurman. 

“You are satisfied with your horse? It is advisable that 
you should have a good one, and yet not so good as to attract 
attention.” 


102 


WITH KITCHENEE IN’ THE SOUDAN 


“ Yes ; I could not want a better horse, General. He is not 
handsome, but I have ridden him a great deal, and he is cer- 
tainly fast ; and being desert bred I have no doubt has plenty 
of endurance. I shall of course get one for my boy.” 

“ There are plenty in the transport yard. They have been 
bought up from fugitives who have come in here. I will write 
you an order to select any one you choose, and if you see 
one you think better than your own, you can take it also, and 
hand yours over to the transport to keep until you return. 
You should take a Martini-Henri with you. I will give you 
an order for one on one of the native regiments. They are, 
as you know, armed with them, and have, of course, a few 
cases of spare rifles. A good many have fallen into the hands 
of the Dervishes at one time or another, so that your carry- 
ing such a weapon will not excite any remark. It would not 
do to take a revolver, but no*doubt you will be able to buy 
pistols that have been brought down hy the fugitives. You 
will certainly be able to get them at some of those Greek 
shops; they buy up all that kind of thing. Of course you 
will carry one of the Dervish long knives. Is there anything 
else that you can think of ? ” 

^‘Nothing, sir.” 

“ When will you be ready, do you suppose ? ” 

By the day after to-morrow, sir. I shall start after dark, 
so that no one will notice my going. With your permission 
I will come round before I set ofl, so that you can see whether 
the disguise is good enough to pass.” 


TO METEMMEH 


103 


CHAPTEK YII 

TO METEMMEH 

Z AKI at once set to work to collect the articles needed for 
the journey, and Gregory obtained from the transport 
another horse and two native saddles. He was well satisfied 
with his own animal ; and even had he found in the transport 
yard a better horse he would still have preferred his own, as 
they were accustomed to each other. He bought pistols for 
himself and Zaki, and a matchlock for the latter. Every- 
thing was ready by the time Gregory went to the mess to 
lunch, on the day fixed for his departure. Hothing whatever 
had been said as to his leaving, as it was possible that some 
of the native servants who waited upon them might have 
picked up sufiicient English to gather that something im- 
portant was about to take place. When, however, the meal 
was over and he said carelessly, “ I shall not be at mess this 
evening,” he saw by the expression of the officers’ faces that 
they all were aware of the reason for his absence. One after 
another they either shook hands with him or gave him a quiet 
pat on the shoulder, with the words Take care of yourself, 
lad,” or A safe journey and a speedy return,” or some other 
kind wish. 

Going to his hut he was shaved by Zaki at the back of the 
neck up to his ears, so that the white closely fitting cap would 
completely cover the hair. Outside the tent a sauce-pan was 
boiling with herbs and berries, which the lad had procured 
from an old woman who was considered to have a great 
knowledge of simples. At four in the afternoon Gregory 
was stained from head to foot, two coats of the dye being 
applied. This used but a small quantity of the liquor, and 
the rest was poured into a gourd for future use. The dresses 
were ready with the exception of the Mahdi patches, which 
were to be sewn on at their first halting-place. Before it was 


104 * WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 

dark, Gregory went across to the General’s quarters. The 
black sentry stopped him. 

The General wants to speak to me,” Gregory said in 
Arabic. 

The man called up the native sergeant from the guard tent, 
who asked what he wanted. 

I am here by the orders of the General.” 

The sergeant looked doubtful, but went in. He returned 
in a minute and motioned to Gregory to follow him in. The 
General looked at him from head to foot. 

“ I suppose it is you, Hilliard,” he said, “ but I certainly 
should not have recognized you. With that yellowish-brown 
skin you could pass anywhere as a Soudan Arab. Will the 
colour last ? ” 

“I am assured that it will last for some days, but I am 
taking enough with me to renew it four or five times.” 

“ Well, unless some unexpected obstacle occurs, I think you 
are safe from detection. Mind you avoid men from El 
Obeid; if you do not fall in with them you should be safe. 
Of course when you have sewn on those patches your disguise 
will be complete. I suppose you have no idea how long you 
will be away ? ” 

It will take me five days to go there, and five days to come 
back. I should think that if I am three days in the camp I 
ought to get all the information required. In a fortnight 
I should be here, though, of course, I may be longer. If I 
am not back within a few days of that time you will know 
that it is because I have stayed there in the hopes of getting 
more certain news. If I don’t return in three weeks it will 
be because something has gone wrong.” 

“ I hope it will not be so, lad. As regards appearance and 
language I have no fear of your being detected, but you 
must always bear in mind that there are other points. You 
have had the advantage of seeing the camps of the native 
regiments when the men are out of uniform — ^how they walk, 
laugh uproariously, play tricks with each other, and generally 


TO METEMMEH 


105 


behave. These are all natives of the Soudan, and no small 
proportion of them have been followers of the Mahdi and 
have fought against us, so they may be taken as typical of 
the men you are going among. It is in all these little mat- 
ters that you will have to be careful. Now, I will not detain 
you longer. I suppose your horses are on board?” 

It had been arranged that Gregory should be taken down 
to Korti in a native craft that was carrying some stores re- 
quired at that camp. 

Yes, sir; my boy put them on board two hours ago.” 

“ Here is the pass by which you can enter or leave the 
British lines at any time. The boat will be there before 
daylight, but the landing of the stores will not, of course, 
take place until later. Show this pass to the first officer who 
comes down. It contains an order for you to be allowed to 
start on your journey at once. This other pass is for your 
return. You had better, at your first halt, sew it under one 
of your patches. It is, as you see, written on a piece of linen,> 
so that however closely you may be examined, there will be 
no stiffness or crackling, as would be the case with paper. 
Now good-bye, Hilliard! It is a satisfaction to me that you 
have undertaken this journey on your own initiative, and on 
your own request. I believe that you have a fair chance of 
carrying it through — more so than men with wider shoulders 
and bigger limbs would have. If you come to grief I shall 
blame myself for having accepted your offer, but I shall, at 
least know that I thought it over seriously, and that, seeing 
the importance of the object in view, I did not feel myself 
justified in refusing.” 

With a cordial shake of the hand he said good-bye to 
Gregory. The latter went off to his hut. He did not leave 
it until dusk, and then went down to the boat, where Zaki 
had remained with the horses. As soon as it started, they 
lay down alongside some bales on the deck of the native craft 
and were soon asleep. They did not wake until a slight 
bump told them they were alongside the wharf at Korti. 


106 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


Day was just breaking, so no move was made until an hour 
later. An officer came down with the fatigue party to unload 
the stores that she had brought down. When the horses were 
ashore, Gregory handed the pass to the officer, who was stand- 
ing on the bank. He looked at it with some surprise. 

“ Going to do some scouting,” he muttered, and then called 
to a native officer, Pass these two men beyond the outposts. 
They have an order from General Hunter.” 

Will you be away long? ” he asked Gregory in Arabic. 

“ A week or more, my lord,” the latter replied. 

Ah ! I suppose you are going to Gakdul. As far as we 
have heard, there are no Dervishes there. Well, you must 
keep a sharp look-out ; they may be in hiding anywhere about 
there, and your heads won’t be worth much if they lay hands 
on you.” 

“We intend to do so, sir; ” and then, mounting, they rode 
on, the native officer walking beside them. 

“ You know the country, I suppose? ” he said. “ The Der- 
vishes are bad, but I would rather fall into their hands than 
lose my way in the desert. The one is a musket ball or a 
quick chop with a knife, the other an agony for two or three 
days.” 

“ I have been along the road before,” Zaki said ; “ there is 
no fear of my losing my way, and even if I did so I could 
travel by the stars.” 

“ I wish we were all moving,” the native said. “ It is dull 
work staying here month after month.” 

As soon as they were beyond the lines they thanked the 
officer, and went off at a pace native horses are capable of 
keeping up for hours. 

“ Korti is a much pleasanter camp to stay in than Merawi,” 
Gregory said. “ It really looks a delightful place. It is 
quite evident that the Mahdists have never made a raid here.” 

The camp stood on a high bank above the river. There 
were spreading groves of trees, and the broad avenues that 
had been constructed when the Gordon relief expedition was 


TO METEMMEH 


107 


encamped there could still be seen. Beyond it was a stretch 
of land which had been partly cultivated. Sevas grass grew 
plentifully, and acacia and mimosa shrubs in patches. 

They rode to the wells of Hambok, a distance of some five- 
and-thirty miles, which they covered in five hours. There 
they halted, watered their horses, and after giving them a 
good feed turned them out to munch the shrubs or graze on 
the grass as they chose. They then had a meal from the food 
they had brought with them, made a shelter of bushes, for the 
heat was intense, and afterwards sewed the Mahdi patches 
upon their clothes. 

When the sun went down they fetched the horses in, gave 
them a small feed, and then fastened them to some bushes 
near. As there was plenty of water in the wells they took 
an empty gourd down and, stripping, poured water over their 
heads and bodies ; then, feeling greatly refreshed, dressed and 
lay down to sleep. The moon rose between twelve and one, 
and after giving the horses a drink they mounted and rode to 
Gakdul, which they reached soon after daybreak. They had 
stopped a mile away, and Zaki went forward on foot, hiding 
himself as much as possible from observation. On his return 
.he reported that no one was at the wells, and they therefore 
rode on, taking every precaution against surprise. The char- 
acter of the scenery had completely changed, and they had 
for some miles been winding along at the foot of the Jebel- 
el-Jilif hills. These were steep and precipitous, with spurs 
and intermediate yalleys. The wells differed entirely from 
those at Hambok, which were merely holes dug in the sand, 
the water being brought up in one of the skin bags they had 
brought with them, and poured into shallow cisterns made in 
the surface. At Gakdul the wells were large pools in the 
rock at the foot of one of the spurs of the hill, two miles from 
the line of the caravan route. Here the water was beauti- 
fully clear, and abundant enough for the wants of a large 
force. 

It is lucky I had you with me, Zaki, for I should certainly 


108 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


have gone straight on past the wells without knowing where 
they were; and as there are no others this side of Abu Klea, 
I should have had rather a bad day.” 

The three forts which the Guards had built when they came 
on in advance of General Stewart’s column were still stand- 
ing, as well as a number of smaller ones which had been 
afterwards added. 

“ It is rather a bad place for being caught, Zaki, for the 
ground is so broken and rocky that the Dervishes might creep 
up without being seen.” 

Yes, sir, it is a bad place,” Zaki agreed. “ I am glad that 
none of the Dervishes were here, for we should not have seen 
them until we were quite close.” 

Zaki had on the road cut a large faggot of dried sticks, 
and a fire was soon lighted. 

‘^You must give the horses a good allowance of grain,” 
Gregory said, “ for they will be able to pick up nothing here, 
and it is a long ride to Abu Klea.” 

“ We shall have to be very careful there, my lord; it is not 
so very far from Metemmeh, and we are very likely to find 
Baggaras at the wells. It was there they met the English 
force that went through to Metemmeh. I think it would be 
better for us to halt early this evening and camp at the foot 
of Jebel Sergain; the English halted there before advancing 
to Abu Klea. We can take plenty of water in the two skins, 
to give the horses a drink and leave enough for to-morrow. 
There is grass in abundance there. When the moon rises we 
can make our way round to avoid Abu Klea, and halt in the 
middle of the day for some hours. We could then ride on as 
soon as the sun is low, halt when it becomes too dark to ride, 
and then start again when the moon rises. In that way we 
shall reach the river before it is light.” 

“ I think that would be a very good plan, Zaki. We should 
find it very difiicult to explain who we were if we met any 
Dervishes at Abu Klea. I will have a look at my sketch map ; 
we have found it very good and accurate so far, and with 


TO METEMMEH 


109 


that and the compass the General gave me before starting, 
we ought to have no difficulty in striking the river, as the 
direction is only a little to the east of south.” 

He opened a tin of preserved meat, of which he had four 
with him, and placed it to warm near the fire. “We should 
have had to throw the other tins away if we had gone on to 
Abu Klea,” he said ; “ it would never have done for them to 
be found upon us if we were searched.” 

When the meat was hot they ate it, using some biscuits 
as plates. Afterwards they feasted on a melon they had 
brought with them, and were glad to hear their horses munch- 
ing the leaves of some shrubs near. When the moon rose 
they started. It was slow work at first, as they had some 
difficulty in passing the rough country lying behind the hill. 
Once past it, they came upon a level plain, and rode fast for 
some hours. At ten o’clock they halted and lay down under 
the shelter of the shrubs, mounting again at four and riding 
for another three hours. 

“ How far do you think we are from the river now ? By 
the map, I should think we cannot be much more than twenty 
miles from it.” 

“I don’t know, my lord. I have never been along here 
before ; but it certainly ought not to be farther than that.” 

“We have ridden nine hours; we travelled slowly for the 
first four or five, but we have come fast since then. We must 
give the horses a good rest, so we will not move on till the 
moon rises, which will be about a quarter to two. It does 
not give a great deal of light now, and we shall have to make 
our way through the scrub ; but, at any rate, we ought to be 
close to the river before morning.” 

When the sun was low they again lit a fire and had another 
good meal, giving the greater portion of their stock of bis- 
cuits to the horses, and a good drink of water. “We must 
use up all we can eat before to-morrow, Zaki, and betake 
ourselves to a diet of dried dates. There is enough water 
left to give the horses a drink before we start, then we shall 
start as genuine Dervishes.” 


110 WITH KITCHEHEK IH THE SOUDAH 

They found that the calculation they had made as to dis- 
tance was correct, and before daybreak arrived on the bank 
of the Nile and at once encamped in a grove. In the morn- 
ing they could see the houses of Metemmeh rising from the 
line of sandy soil some five miles away. 

There seems to be plenty of bush and cover all along the 
bank, Zaki. We will stay here till the evening and then 
move three miles farther down, so that you may be handy 
if I have to leave the Derviihes in a hurry.” 

“ Could we not go into the camp, my lord ? ” 

“It would be much better in some respects if we could; 
but, you see, you do not speak Arabic.” 

“ No, master; but you could say I was carried ofi as a slave 
when I was a boy. You see, I do speak a little Arabic, and 
could understand simple orders just as any slave boy would, 
if he had been eight or ten years among the Arabs.” 

“ It would certainly be a great advantage to have you and 
the horses handy. However, at first I will go in and join 
the Dervishes, and see how they encamp. They are no doubt 
a good deal scattered, and if we could find a quiet spot where 
a few mounted men have taken up their station, we would 
join them. But before we did that it would be necessary to 
find out whether they came from Kordofan or from some of 
the villages on the White Nile; it would never do to stumble 
into a party from El Obeid.” 

They remained quiet all day. The wood extended a hun- 
dred and fifty yards back from the river, and there was little 
fear that anyone coming down from Omdurman would enter 
it when within sight of Metemmeh. At dusk they rode on 
again until they judged that they were within two miles of 
the town, and then, entering a clump of high bushes by the 
river, halted for the night. 


AMONG THE DERVISHES 


111 


CHAPTEK Vni 

AMONG THE DERVISHES 

I N the morning Gregory started alone as soon as it was 
light. As he neared the town he saw that there were 
several native craft on the river, and that boats were passing 
to and fro between the town and Shendy on the opposite 
bank. From the water-side a number of men were carrying 
what appeared to be bags of grain towards the hills behind 
the town, while others were straggling down towards the 
river. Without being questioned Gregory entered Metem- 
meh, but stopped there for a very few minutes. Everywhere 
were the bodies of men, women, and children, of donkeys and 
other animals. All were now shrivelled and dried by the 
sun, but the stench was almost unbearable, and he was glad 
to hurry away. 

Once beyond the walls he made for the hill. Many tents 
could be seen there, and great numbers of men moving about. 
He felt sure that among so many no one would notice that 
he was a new-comer, and after moving among the throng, 
he soon sat down among a number of Dervishes who were 
eating their morning meal. Taking some dates out of his 
bag he munched them quietly. From the talk going on he 
soon perceived that there was a considerable amount of dis- 
content at the long delay. Some of the men were in favour 
of moving to Berber, on the ground that they would at least 
fare better there, but the majority were eager to march north 
to drive the infidels from Merawi and Dongola. 

‘^Mahmud would do that, I am sure,” one of them said, 
‘Mf he had but his will; but how could we march without 
provisions? It is said that Mahmud has asked for a sufii- 
cient supply to cross the Bayuda, and has promised to drive 
the infidels before him to Assouan ; but the Khalifa says no, 
it would be better to wait till they come in a strong body 


112 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

and then to exterminate them. If we are not to fight, why 
were we sent here? It would have been better to stay at 
Omdurman, because there we had plenty of food, or, if it ran 
short, could march to the villages and take what we wanted. 
Of course the Khalifa knows best, but to us it seems strange 
indeed.” 

There was a general chorus of assent. After listening for 
some time Gregory rose, and, passing over the ridge, came 
upon the main camp. Here were a number of emirs and 
sheiks with their banners flying before the entrance of their 
tents. The whole ground was thickly dotted with little shel- 
ters formed of bushes, over which dark blankets were thrown 
to keep out the rays of the sun. Everywhere women were 
seated or standing — some talking to each other, others en- 
gaged in cooking ; children played about ; boys came in loaded 
with faggots, which they had gone long distances to cut. In 
some places numbers of horses were picketed, showing where 
the Baggara cavalry were stationed. In the neighbourhood 
of the emirs’ tents there was some sort of attempt at order 
in the arrangement of the little shelters, showing where the 
men of their tribes were encamped. 

Beyond, straggling out for some distance, were small en- 
campments, in some of which the men were still erecting 
shelters with the bushes the women and boys brought in. 
Most of these were evidently fresh arrivals who had squatted 
down as soon as they came up, either from ignorance as to 
where their friends had encamped or from a preference for 
a quiet situation. This fringe of new arrivals extended along 
the whole semicircle of the camp, and as several small parties 
came up while Gregory wandered about, and he saw that no 
notice was taken of them by those already established, he 
thought that he could bring Zaki and the horses up without 
any fear of close questioning. He therefore walked down 
again to the spot where he had left them, and, mounting, they 
rode to the camp, making a wide sweep so as to avoid the 
front facing Metemmeh. 

“We could camp equally well anywhere here, Zaki, but we 


AMOITG THE DERVISHES 


113 


may as well go round to the extreme left, as, if we have to 
ride off suddenly, we shall at least start from the nearest point 
to the line by which we came.’^ 

There was a small clump of bushes a hundred yards or so 
from the nearest of the little shelters. Here they dismount- 
ed, and at once began with their knives to cut down some of 
the bushes to form a screen from the sun. They had watered 
the horses before they left the river, and had also filled their 
water-skins. 

“ I don’t think we could find a better place,’ Zaki,” Gregory 
said, when, having completed their shelter and thrown their 
blankets over it, they lay down in the shade. “No doubt we 
shall soon be joined by others, but as we are the first comers 
on this spot it will be for us to ask questions of them, and, 
after, for them to make enquiries of us. I shall go into the 
camp as soon as the heat abates and people begin to move 
about again. Remember our story: — You were carried off 
from a Jaalin village in a raid. Your master was a small 
sheik, and is now with the force at El Obeid. You had been 
the companion of his son, and when the latter made up his 
mind to come and fight here your master gave you your free- 
dom so that you might fight by his son’s side. You might 
say that I have not yet settled under whose banner I shall 
fight. All I wish is to be in the front of the battle when we 
meet the infidels. That will be quite sufiicient. There are 
men here from almost every village in the Soudan, and no 
one will care much where his neighbours come from. 

“ Mention that we intend to fight as matchlock men, not 
on horseback, as the animals are greatly fatigued from their 
long journey and will require rest for some time; and being 
so far from home I fear that Ve might lose them if we went 
into the fight with them, and in that case might have to jour- 
ney on foot for a long time before we could get others. I 
don’t at all suppose that it will be necessary for you to say 
all this. People will be too much occupied with their own 
affairs to care much about others; still, it is well not to hes- 
itate if questioned.” 


Il4r WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

Talk and laughter in the great camp ceased now, and it 
was not until the sun lost its power that it again began. 
Gregory did not move till it began to get dusk. 

I shall be away some time,” he said, “ so don’t be at all 
uneasy about me. I shall take my black blanket so that I can 
cover myself with it and lie down, as if asleep, close to any 
of the emirs’ tents where I hear talk going on, and so may 
be able to gather some idea as to their views. I have already 
learned that the tribesmen have not heard of any immediate 
move, and are discontented at being kept inactive so long. 
The leaders, however, may have their plans, but will not make 
them known to the men until it is time for action.” 

The camp was thoroughly alive when he entered it. Men 
were sitting about in groups; the women, as before, keeping 
near their little shelters, laughing and chatting together, and 
sometimes quarrelling. From the manner of the men, who 
either sat or walked about, it was not difficult for Gregory to 
distinguish between the villagers who had been dragged away 
from their homes and forced to enter the service of the 
Khalifa, and the Baggara and kindred tribes who had so long 
held the Soudan in subjection. The former were quiet in 
their demeanour and sometimes sullen in their looks. He 
had no doubt that when the fighting came these would face 
death at the hands of the infidels as bravely as their oppres- 
sors, for the belief in Mahdism was now universal. His fol- 
lowers had proved themselves invincible; they had no doubt 
that they would destroy the armies of Egypt, but they re- 
sented being dragged away from their quiet homes, their 
families, and their fields. 

Among these the Baggara strode haughtily. Splendid 
men for the most part, tall, lithe, and muscular; men with the 
supreme belief in themselves and in their cause, carrying 
themselves as the FTorman barons might have done among 
a crowd of Saxons; the conquerors of the land, the most 
trusted followers of the successor of the Mahdi, men who felt 
themselves invincible. It was true that they had so far failed 


AMONG THE DERVISHES 


115 


to overrun Egypt, and had even suffered reverses, but these 
the Khalifa had taught them to consider were due to diso- 
bedience of his orders or the result of their fighting upon 
unlucky days. All this was soon to be reversed. The 
prophecies had told that the infidels were about to be annihi- 
lated, and that then they would sweep down without oppo- 
sition, and possess themselves of the plunder of Egypt. 

Gregory passed wholly unnoticed among the crowd. There 
was nothing to distinguish him from others, and the thought 
that an Egyptian spy, still less one of the infidels, should ven- 
ture into their camp had never occurred to one of that mul- 
titude. Occasionally he sat down near a group of the Bag- 
gara, listening to their talk. They were impatient too, but 
they were convinced that all was for the best, and that when 
it was the will of Allah they would destroy their enemy. 
Still, there were expressions of impatience that Mahmud was 
not allowed to advance. We know,” one said, that it is 
at Kirbekan that the last great destruction of the infidel is to 
take place, and that these madmen are coming to their fate; 
still, we might move down and destroy those at Dongola and 
along the river, and possess ourselves of their arms and stores. 
Why should we come thus far from Omdurman if we are to 
go no farther ? ” 

Why ask questions ? ” another said contemptuously. 
“Enough that it is the command of the Khalifa, to whom 
power and knowledge has been given by the Mahdi, until he 
himself returns to earth. To the Khalifa will be revealed 
the day and the hour on which we are to smite the infidel. 
If Mahmud and the great emirs are all content to wait, why 
should we be impatient ? ” 

Everywhere Gregory went he heard the same feelings ex- 
pressed. The men were impatient to be up and doing, but 
they must wait the appointed hour. It was late before he 
ventured to approach the tents of the leaders. He knew that 
it was impossible to get near Mahmud himself, for he had 
his own bodyguard of picked men. The night, however, was 


116 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

dark, and, enveloping himself from head to foot in his black 
blanket, he crawled out until well beyond the line of tents, 
and then very cautiously made his way towards them again. 
He knew that he should see the white figures of the Dervishes 
before they could make him out, and he managed, unnoticed, 
to crawl up to one of the largest- tents and lie down against 
it. He heard the chatter of the women in an adjoining tent, 
but there was no sound in that against which he lay-i 

For an hour all was quiet. Then he saw two white figures 
coming from Mahmud’s camp, which lay some fifty yards 
away. To his delight they stopped at the entrance of the tent 
by which he was concealed, and one said : I can well under- 
stand, Ibrahim Khalim, that your brother Mahmud is sorely 
vexed that your father will not let him advance against the 
Egyptians at Merawi. I fully share his feelings^ for could 
I not with my cavalry sweep them before me into the river, 
even though no foot-men came with me? According to ac- 
counts they are but two or three thousand strong, and I have 
as many horsemen under my command.” 

“ That is so, Osman Azrakyet. But methinks my father is 
right. If we were to march across the desert we would lose 
very many men and great numbers of animals, and we should 
arrive weakened and dispirited. -If we remain here it is the 
Egyptians who will have to bear the hardships of the march 
across the desert. Great numbers of the animals that carry 
the baggage and food, without which the poor infidels are 
unable to march, would die, and the weakened force would 
be an easy prey for us.” 

“ That is true,” the other said, “ but they may come now, 
as they came to Dongola, in their boats.” 

“They have the cataracts to ascend, and the rapid cur- 
rents of the Nile at its full to struggle against. There is a 
strong force at Abu Hamed, and our Governor at Berber will 
move down there with all his force when he hears that the 
.Egyptians are coming up the cataracts. Should it be the 
will of Allah that they should pass them and reach Berber, 








GREGORY GRASPED THE ARAB'S WRIST 




A 






t 




4 





» 




iC* 



i 




0 


< . 


* 

I 

4 

( 




« 


•• • V , 






t. 


% 

% 


« « • * 




• s 


V 








« 








r ...- ■ 

^ * *. 




• - 





•v 


** 


•• 


V 




t 


\ 





• » 

• * ♦. 


« 



> 


f 


V 


4 


f 





t 


4 f 


% 


I 


^ « 


• - 


I 


9 


I 

I 








'd 


» ‘ 




I 



/' 


f 





I 



AMONG THE DERVISHES 


117 


we shall know how to meet them. Mahmud has settled this 
evening that many strong forts are to be built on the river 
bank here, and if the infidels try to advance farther by water 
they will be all sunk. I agree with you and Mahmud, and 
wish that it had been otherwise, and that we could hurl our- 
selves at once upon the Egyptians and prevent their coming 
farther, but that would be but a partial success. If we wait, 
they will gather all their forces before they come, and we 
shall destroy them at one blow. Then we shall seize all their 
stores and animals, cross the desert to Dongola, march for- 
ward to Assouan, and there wait till the Khalifa brings his 
own army, and then who is to oppose us? We will conquer 
the land of the infidel. I am as eager for the day of battle 
as you are, but it seems to me that it is best to wait here until 
the infidels come, and I feel that it is wise of the Khalifa 
thus to order. Mow I will to my tent.” 

As soon as Ibrahim Khalim had entered his tent Gregory 
crawled away, well satisfied that he had gained exactly the 
information he had come to gather. He had gone but a few 
paces when he saw a white figure striding along in front 
of the tents. He stopped and threw himself down. Unfort- 
unately the path taken by the sheik was directly towards 
him. He heard the footsteps advancing, in hopes that the 
man would pass either in front or behind him. Then he felt 
a sudden kick, an exclamation, and a heavy fall. He leapt 
to his feet, but the Arab sheik was as quick, and springing 
up also seized him, at the same time drawing his knife and 
uttering a loud shout. Gregory grasped the Arab’s wrist, 
and without hesitation snatched his own knife from the sash 
and drove it deep into his assailant’s body. The latter 
uttered another loud cry for help, and a score of men rushed 
from behind the tents. 

Gregory set off at the top of his speed, dashed over the 
brow of the bridge, and then, without entering the camp 
there, he kept along close to the crest, running at the top 
of his speed and wrapping his blanket as much as possible 


118 WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 

round him. He heard an outburst of yells behind, and felt 
sure that the sheik he had wounded had told those who had 
rushed up which way he had fled. With loud shouts they 
poured over the crest, and there were joined by others run- 
ning up from the camp. When Gregory paused for a mo- 
ment after running for three or four hundred yards, he could 
hear no sound of footsteps behind him. Glancing round, he 
could not see white dresses in the darkness. Turning sharply 
off, he recrossed the crest of the hill, and keeping close to it, 
continued his flight until well past the ehd of the camp. The 
alarm had by this time spread everywhere, and a wild medley 
of shouts rose throughout the whole area of the encampment. 
He turned now and made for the spot where he had left Zaki 
and the horses. In flve minutes he reached it. 

“ Is that you, my lord ? ” Zaki asked as he came up. 

“ Yes, we must fly at once ! I was discovered, and had to 
kill — or at least badly wound — a sheik, and they are searching 
for me everywhere.” 

“ I have saddled the horses and put the water-skins on 
them.” 

“ That is well done, Zaki ; let us mount and be off at once. 
We will lead the horses; it is too dark to gallop among these 
bushes, and the sound of the hoofs might be heard. We will 
go quietly till we are well away.” 

Not another word was spoken till they had gone half a 
mile. 

“ We will mount now, Zaki; the horses can see better than 
we. We will go at a walk. I dare not strike a light to look 
at the compass, but there are the stars. I do not see the 
north star, it must be hidden by the mist lower down; but 
the others give us the direction quite near enough to go by. 
It is most unfortunate that the fellow who rushed against 
me was a sheik. I could see that by the outline of his robe. 
If it had been a common man there would not have been any 
fuss over it. As it is, they will search for us high and low. 
I know he wasn’t killed on the spot, for he shouted after I 


AMONG THE DERVISHES 


119 


had left him; and they are likely to guess from his account 
that I had been down at one of the emirs’ tents, and was 
probably a spy. I know that I ought to have paused a mo- 
ment and given him another stab, but I could not bring 
myself to do it. It is one thing to stab a man who is trying 
to take one’s life, but it is quite another when he has fallen 
and is helpless.” 

Zaki had made no reply. He could scarcely understand 
his master’s repugnance to making matters safe when an- 
other blow would have done so, but it was not for him to 
blame. 

They travelled all night, and when the moon rose were able 
to get along somewhat faster, but its light was now feeble 
and uncertain. As soon as day broke they rode fast, and at 
ten o’clock had left behind the range of hills stretching be- 
tween the wells of Abu Klea and Jebel Sergain. 

“We ought to be safe now,” Gregory said as they dis- 
mounted. “ At any rate the horses must have a rest ; we have 
done over forty miles.” 

“We are safe for the present, my lord; it all depends 
whether or not they think you are a spy. If they come to 
that conclusion, they will send at once to Abu Klea; and if 
a strong body is stationed there they may have sent a party 
on to Gakdul or even to El Howeyat, for they will feel sure 
that we shall make for one of the wells.” 

“ How much water have you got in the bags ? ” 

Zaki examined them. “Enough for ourselves for five or 
six days, but only enough for two drinks each for the horses 
and for ourselves for a couple of days.” 

“ That is bad. If we had had any idea of coming away so 
soon, we would have filled the large bags yesterday. I had 
intended to send down the horses in the morning, therefore 
left them only half-full, and they must have leaked a good 
deal to get so low. See if one leaks more than the other.” 

It was found that one held the water well, but from the 
other there was a steady drip. They transferred the water 
from this to the sound bag. 


120 WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 

“We must drink as little as we can, Zaki, and give the 
horses only a mouthful now and then, and let them munch 
the shrubs and get a little moisture from them. Do you 
think there is any fear of the Dervishes following our 
tracks ? ” 

“No, my lord. In the first place they do not know that 
there are two of us, or that we are mounted. When those 
who camped near us notice when they get up this morning 
that we have moved, they will only think that we have shifted 
our camp, as there was no talk of horsemen being concerned 
in this affair. No, I do not think they will attempt to follow 
us except along the caravan road, but I feel sure they will 
pursue us on that line.” 

They rested for some hours in the shade of a high rock, 
leaving the horses to pick what herbage they could find. At 
four o’clock they started again. They had ridden two hours 
when Zaki said: 

“ See, my lord, there are two men on the top of Jebel 
Sergain ! ” 

Gregory gazed in that direction. 

“ Yes, I can notice them now, but I should not have done 
so if you had not seen them.” 

“ They are on watch, my lord.” 

“ Well, they can hardly see us at this distance.” 

“You may be sure that they. see us,” Zaki said; “the eyes 
of an Arab are very keen, and could not fail to catch two 
moving objects — especially horsemen.” 

“ If they are looking for us and have seen us, Zaki, they 
would not be standing stationary there.” 

“ Not if they were alone. But others may have been with 
them. When they first caught sight of us, which may have 
been half an hour ago, the others may have gone down to Abu 
Klea, while those two remained to watch which course we 
took. The Arabs can signal with their lances or with their 
horses, and from there they would be able to direct any 
party in pursuit of us.” 


AMONG THE DEEVISHES 


121 


Well, we must keep on as hard as we can till dark; after 
that we can take it quietly. You see the difficulty with us 
will be water. Now that they have once made out two horse- 
men riding north, they must know that we have some special 
object in avoiding them, and will no doubt send a party to 
Gakdul, if not farther.” 

They crossed the rough country as quickly as they could, 
and then again broke into a canter. An hour later, as they 
crossed a slight rise, Zaki looked back. “ There are some 
horsemen in pursuit, my lord ; they have evidently come from 
Abu Klea.” 

Gregory looked round. There are about fifteen of them,” 
he said. “ However, they are a good three miles behind, and 
it will be dark in another half-hour. As soon as it is so, we 
will turn off to the right or left, and so throw them off our 
track. DonT hurry your horse; the animals have made a 
very long journey since we started, and we shall want them 
badly to-morrow.” 

In another half hour the sun went down. Darkness comes 
on quickly in the Soudan, and in another quarter of an hour 
they had lost sight of their pursuers, who had gained about 
a mile upon them. “Another five minutes, Zaki, to allow 
for their eyes being better than ours. Which way do you 
think we had better turn ? ” 

“ I should say to the left, my lord. There is another cara- 
van route from Metemmeh to Ambukol. It cannot be more 
than fifteen miles to the west.” 

“ Do you know anything about it ? ” 

“ I have never been along there. It is a shorter route than 
the one to Korti, but not so much used, I believe, because the 
wells cannot be relied upon.” 

“ Well, I feel sure we shall not be able to get at the wells 
on the other line, so we had better take that. As we shall 
be fairly safe from pursuit, we may as well bear towards the 
north-west. By doing so we shall be longer in striking the 
track, but the journey will be a good bit shorter than if we 


122 


WITH KITCHENEE IN THE SOUDAN 


were to ride due west. Now we can safely dismount. It is 
getting pitch-dark, and we will lead our horses. I can feel 
that mine is nearly dead-beat. In a few minutes we will halt 
and give them half a gourdful of water each. After that we 
had better go on for another six or seven miles, so as to be 
well out of sight of anyone on the hills.” 

Ten minutes later they heard the dull sound of horses’ 
hoofs on the sand. They waited five minutes until it died 
away in the distance, and then continued their course. It 
was slow work, as they had to avoid every bush carefully, lest 
if their pursuers halted they should hear the crackling of a 
dry stick in the still air. Zaki, who could see much better 
in the dark than his master, went on ahead, while Gregory 
led the two horses. A good hour passed before they stopped. 
They gave the horses a scanty drink and took a mouthful or 
two each, and then, throwing themselves down, allowed the 
horses to crop the scanty herbage. After four hours’ halt 
they pursued their way on foot for three hours, laying their 
course by the stars. They calculated that they must have 
gone a good fifteen miles from the point where they turned 
off, and feared that they might miss the caravan track if they 
went on before daybreak. 


CHAPTEK IX 

SAFELY BACK 

A S soon as the sun was up they pursued their journey, 
Gregory’s compass being now available. In half an 
hour Zaki said, “ There is a sign of the track, my lord,” and 
he pointed to the skeleton of a camel. 

“How many more miles do you think we have to go, 
Zaki?” 

“We must be a good half-way, my lord.” 

“Yes, quite that, I should think. Looking at the map. 


SAFELY BACK 


123 


I should say that we must be about abreast of the line of 
Gakdul. This route is only just indicated, and there are no 
halting-places marked upon it. Still, there must be water, 
otherwise caravans could not use it. We have about sixty 
miles farther to go, so that if the horses were fresh we might 
be there this evening; but as it is, we have still two, if not 
three days’ journey before us. Well, we must hope that we 
shall find some water. Just let the horses wet their mouths; 
we can keep on for a bit before we have a drink. How much 
more is there left ? ” he asked, after the lad had given a little 
water to each horse. 

“ Hot above two gourdfuls.” 

“ Well, we must ride as far as we can, and at any rate must 
keep one gourdful for to-morrow. If we cover twenty-five 
miles to-day — and I don’t think the horses can do more — we 
can manage, if they are entirely done up, to walk the other 
thirty-five miles. However, as I said, there must be wells, 
and even if they are dry we may be able to scratch the sand 
out and find a little water. What food have we got ? ” 

Only about two pounds of dates.” 

That is a poor supply for two days, Zaki, but we must 
make the best of them. We will only eat a few to-day, so as 
to have a fair meal in the morning. We shall want it if we 
have to walk thirty-five miles over the sand.” 

It will not be all sand,” Zaki said ; “ there is grass for 
the last fifteen miles near the river, and there were cultivated 
fields about ten miles out before the Dervishes came.” 

That is better. How we will be moving.” The herbage 
the horses had cropped during the halt had served to a certain 
degree to supply the place of water, and they proceeded at 
a brisker pace than Gregory had expected. “ Keep a sharp 
look-out for water. Even if the wells are dry, you will see 
a difference in the growth of the bushes round them, and as 
it is certain that this route has not been used for some time 
there may even be grass.” 

They rode on at an easy canter, and avoided pressing the 


124 WITH KITOHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

horses in the slightest degree, allowing them to walk when- 
ever they chose. The heat was very great, and after four 
hours’ riding Gregory called a halt. We must have done 
twenty miles,” he said. The bushes look green about here, 
and the horses have got something of a feed.” 

“ I think this must be one of the old halting-places,” Zaki 
said, looking round as they dismounted. “ See, my lord, 
there are some broken gourds and some rags scattered about.” 

“So there are,” Gregory said. “We will take the bridles 
out of the horses’ mouths, so that they can chew the leaves 
up better, and then we will see if we can find where the wells 
were.” 

Twenty yards farther away they found a deep hole. “ This 
was one of them,” the lad said, “but it is quite dry. See, 
there is an old bucket lying at the bottom. I will look about ; 
there may be some more of them.” 

Two others were discovered, and the sand at the bottom 
of one of them looked a somewhat darker colour than the 
others. “ Well, we will dig here,” Gregory said. “ Bring 
down those two half -gourds; they will help us to shovel the 
sand aside.” 

The bottom of the hole was some six feet across, and they 
set to work in the middle of it. By the time they had got 
down two feet the sand was soft and clammy. “We will get 
to water, Zaki, if we have to stay here all day ! ” said 
Gregory. 

It was hard work, and it was not until after four hours’ 
toil that, to their delight, they found the sand wet under their 
feet. They had taken it by turns to use the scoop, for the 
labour of making the hole large enough for them both to 
work at once would have been excessive. In another hour 
there was half an inch of water in the hole. Gregory took 
a gourd and buried it in the soft soil until the water flowed 
in over the brim. “ Give me the other one down, Zaki. I 
will fill that too, and then we will both start drinking to- 
gether.” 


SAFELY BACK 


125 


Five minutes later the two took a long draught. The 
scoops were then refilled and carried to the horses, who drank 
with an eagerness that showed how great was their thirst. 
Three times the gourds were filled and emptied. “ Now hand 
me down that water-bago " This was half -filled, and then, 
exhausted with their work, they threw themselves down and 
slept for some hours. When they awoke the sun was setting. 

Bring up the horses, Zaki. Let them drink as much as 
they like.” 

The gourds had each to be filled six times before the ani- 
mals were satisfied. The riders then took another deep drink, 
ate a handful of dates, and mounted. “We are safe now, 
and only have to fear a band of marauding Arabs; and it 
would be hard luck were we to fall in with them. We had 
better ride slowly for the first hour or so ; we must not press 
the horses after they have had such a drink.” 

“ Very well, master.” 

“ There is no particular reason for hurry, and even if we 
miss the trail we know that by keeping straight on we shall 
strike the river somewhere near Korti or Ambukol.” 

For an hour they went at a walk, and then the horses 
broke into their usual pace of their own accord. It was 
getting dark now, and soon even Zaki could not make out 
the track. “ The horses will keep to it, my lord,” he said ; 
“ their sight is a great deal better than ours, and I dare say 
their smell may have something to do with it. Besides, the 
track is clear of bushes, so we should know at once if they 
strayed from it.” 

They rode for five hours, and then felt that the horses were 
beginning to fag. “We will halt here,” Gregory said. “We 
certainly cannot he more than five-and-twenty miles from 
the river, and, if we stait at dawn, shall be there before the 
heat of the day begins. We can have another handful of 
dates, and give the horses a handful each, and that will leave 
us a few for the morning.” The horses, after being given the 
dates, were again turned loose, and it was not long before 
they were heard pulling the leaves off bushes. 


126 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


“ Our case is a good deal better this evening than it was 
yesterday,” Gregory said. “ Then it looked as if it would 
be rather a close thing, for I am sure the horses could not 
have gone much farther if we had not found the water. I 
wish we had a good feed to give them.” 

“ They will do very well on the bushes, my lord. They 
get little else when they are with the Arabs; a handful of 
durra occasionally when they are at work, but at other times 
they only get what they can pick up. If their master is a 
good one they may get a few dates. They will carry us 
briskly enough to the river to-morrow.” 

They did not talk long, and were soon sound asleep. Zaki 
was the first to wake. " Day is just breaking, master.” 

“You don’t say so!” Gregory grumbled sleepily. “It 
seems to me that we have only just lain down.” They ate 
the remainder of their dates, took a drink of water, and gave 
two gourdfuls to the horses, and in a quarter of an hour were 
on their way again. They had ridden but two or three miles 
when Zaki exclaimed, “ There are some horsemen ! ” 

“ Eight of them, Zaki, and they are evidently riding to cut 
us off! As far as I can see, only four of them have guns; 
the others have spears. I think we can manage them. With 
my breech-loader I can fire two shots to their one, and we 
have pistols as well.” 

The Arabs drew up ahead of them and remained quiet 
there until the others came to within fifty yards and checked 
their horses. A man who appeared to be the leader of the 
party shouted the usual salutation, to which Gregory replied. 

The leader said, “ Where are my friends going and why do 
they halt ? ” 

“We are on a mission. We wish to see if the infidels are 
still at Ambukol.” 

“For that you will not want guns,” the man said, “and 
we need them badly. I beg of you to give them to us.” 

“ They may be of use to us ; we may come upon infidel 
scouts.” 


SAFELY BACK 


m 


“ IN'evertheless, my friends, you must hand them over to 
us. We are, as you see, eight, and you are only two. The 
law of the desert is that the stronger take and the weaker 
lose.” 

It may be so sometimes,” Gregory said quietly, “ but not 
in this case. I advise you to ride your way and we will ride 
ours.” Then he said to Zaki, “ Dismount and stand behind 
your horse, and fire over the saddle, but don’t fire the first 
shot now.” He threw himself from his saddle. Scarcely 
had he done so when four shots were fired, and Gregory took 
a steady aim at the chief. The latter threw up his arms 
and fell. With a yell of fury the others dashed forward. 
Zaki did not fire until they were within twenty yards, and 
directly afterwards Gregory fired again. There were now 
but five assailants. “How for your pistols, Zaki! ” he cried, 
glancing round for the first time. He then saw why Zaki 
had not fired when he first did so — his horse was lying dead in 
front of him, shot through the head. “ Stand by me ; don’t 
throw away a shot! You take the man on the other side of 
the horse ; I will take the others.” 

Steadily the four pistols were fired. As the Arabs rode 
up two of them fell, and another was wounded. Dismayed 
at the loss of so many of their number, the three survivors 
rode off at full speed. 

“Are you hurt, Zaki?” 

“A spear grazed my cheek, my lord, that is all. It was 
my own fault; I kept my last barrel too long. However, it 
tumbled him over. Are you hurt, master ? ” 

“ I have got a ball in the shoulder. That fellow without 
a spear has got pistols, and fired just as I did, or rather an 
instant before. That shook my aim, but he has a ball in 
him somewhere. 

“Just see if they have got some dates on their saddles,” 
for the horses of the fallen men had remained by the side of 
their masters’ bodies. 

“Yes, my lord,” Zaki said, examining them; “two bags 
nearly full.” 


128 WITH KITCHEHEK IN THE SOUDAN 

“ That is satisfactory. Pick out the best horse for your- 
self, and then we will ride on. But before we go we will 
break the stocks of these four guns, and carry the barrels off 
and throw them into the bushes a mile or two away.” 

As soon as this was done they mounted and rode on. They 
halted in a quarter of an hour, and after Gregory’s arm had 
been bound tightly to his side with his sash, both they and 
their horses had a good meal of dates. Then they rode on 
again, and in three hours saw some white tents ahead. There 
was a slight stir as they were seen coming, and a dozen black 
soldiers sprang up and ran forward, fixing bayonets as they 
did so. 

“We are friends ! ” Gregory shouted in Arabic, and Zaki 
repeated the shout in his own language. The soldiers looked 
doubtful, and stood together in a group. They knew that the 
Dervishes were sometimes ready to throw away their own 
lives if they could but kill some of their enemy. One of them 
shouted back, “ Stay where you are until I call an officer ! ” 
He went back to the tents, and returned with a white officer 
whom Gregory at once recognized as one of those who had 
come up with him from Wady Haifa. 

“ Leslie,” he shouted in English, “ will you kindly call off 
your soldiers ? one of their muskets might go off accidentally. 
I suppose you don’t remember me. I am Hilliard, who came 
up with you in the steamer.” 

The officer had stopped in astonishment at hearing this 
seeming Dervish address him by name in English. He then 
advanced, giving an order to his men to fall back. 

“ Is it really you, Hilliard ? ” he said as he approached the 
horsemen, who were coming forward at a walk. “ Which of 
you is it ? for I don’t see any resemblance in either of you.” 

“It is I, Leslie; I am not surprised that you don’t know 
me.” 

“But what are you masquerading for in this dress, and 
where have you come from ? ” 

“ Perhaps I had better not say, Leslie. I have been doing 
some scouting across the desert with my boy here. We have 


SAFELY BACK 


129 


had a long ride. In the first place, my arm wants attending 
to, I have a bullet in the shoulder. The next thing we need 
is something to eat; for the last three days we have had 
nothing but dates, and not too many of them. Is there any 
chance of getting taken up to Merawi? We came down from 
there to Korti in a native vessel.” 

“Yes; a gun-boat with some native craft will he going up 
this afternoon. I will give orders at once that your horses 
shall be put on board.” 

When the ball had been extracted from his shoulder, and 
the wound dressed and bandaged by the surgeon in charge, 
Gregory went up to the tents again, where he was warmly 
received by the three white ofiicers of the negro regiment. 
Breakfast had already been prepared, Zaki being handed over 
to the native officers. After having made a hearty meal, 
Gregory related the adventure with the Arabs in the desert, 
merely saying that they had found there were no Dervishes 
at Gakdul. 

“ But why didn’t you go straight back instead of coming 
down here ? ” 

“ I wanted to see whether this line was open, and whether 
there were any wells on it. We only found one, and it took 
us four or five hours’ hard work to get at the water. It is 
lucky indeed that we did so, for our horses were getting very 
done up, and I had begun to think that they would not reach 
our destination alive.” 

In the afternoon the adventurers started with the boats 
going up to Merawi, and the next morning arrived at the 
camp. The Dervish patches had been removed from their 
clothes as soon as they arrived at Ambukol. Gregory could 
have borrowed a white suit there, but as the stain on his skin, 
although somewhat lighter than when first put on, was too 
dark, he declined the offer. 

“No one may notice me as I land now,” he said, “but 
everyone would stare at a man with a brown face and white 
uniform.” 


130 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

Leaving Zaki to get the horses on shore, Gregory went 
straight to the General’s quarters. He told the sentry that 
he wished to see the General on business. ‘‘You cannot go 
in,” the man said, “ the General is engaged.” 

“If you send in word to him that his messenger has 
returned, I am sure he will see me.” 

“You can sit down here then,” the sentry said. “When 
the officer with him comes out, I will give your message to 
his orderly.” 

Gregory, however, was in no humour to be stopped, and in 
an authoritative voice called, “ Orderly I ” A soldier came 
down directly from the guard-room. “ Tell the General at 
once that Mr. Hilliard has returned.” 

With a look of wonder the orderly went into the tent. 
Half a minute later he returned. “ You are to come in,” he 
said. 

As the General had seen Gregory in his disguise before 
starting, he of course recognized him. “ My dear Hilliard,” 
he said, getting up and shaking him cordially by the hand, 
“ I am heartily glad to see you back. You have been fre- 
quently in my thoughts, and though I had every confidence 
in your sharpness I have regretted more than once that I 
allowed you to go. I suppose you failed to get there. It is 
hardly possible that you should have done so in the time. 
I suppose when you got to Gakdul you learned that the 
Dervishes were at Abu Klea.” 

“ They were at Abu Klea, General, but I made a detour 
and got into their camp at Metemmeh.” 

“You did, and have returned safely! I congratulate you 
most warmly. I told you, Macdonald,” he said, turning to 
the officer with whom he had been engaged, “ that I had the 
greatest hope that Mr. Hilliard would get through. He felt 
so confident in himself that I could scarce help feeling confi- 
dence in him too.” 

“ He has done well indeed ! ” Colonel Macdonald said. “ I 
should not have liked to send any of my officers on such an 
adventure, though they have been here for years.” 


SAFELY BACK 


131 


'‘Well, will you sit down, Mr. Hilliard,” the General said, 
"and give us a full account? In the first place, what you 
have learned, and in the second, how you have learned it.” 

Gregory related the conversations he had heard among the 
soldiers, and then that of Mahmud’s brother and the com- 
mander of the Dervish cavalry. Then he described the events 
of his journey there, his narrow escape from capture, and the 
pursuit by the Dervishes at Abu Klea; how he gave them 
the slip, struck the Ambukol caravan road, had a fight with a 
band of robber Arabs, and finally reached the Egyptian camp. 

" An excellently managed business ! ” the General said 
warmly. " You have certainly had some narrow escapes, and 
seem to have adopted the only course by which you could 
have got off safely. The information you have brought is 
of the highest importance. I shall telegraph at once to the 
Sirdar that there will assuredly be no advance on the part of 
Mahmud from Metemmeh, which will leave him free to carry 
out the plans he has formed. I shall of course, in my written 
despatch, give him full particulars of the manner in which 
I have obtained that information.” 

" It was a very fine action,” Macdonald agreed. " The lad 
has shown that he has a good head as well as great courage. 
You will make your way, Mr. Hilliard, — that is, if you don’t 
try this sort of thing again. A man may get through it once, 
but it would be just tempting providence to try it a second 
time.” 

"How, Mr. Hilliard,” the General said, "you had best go 
to your quarters. I will ask the surgeon to attend to you at 
once. You must keep quiet and do no more duty until you 
are discharged from the sick list.” 

Ten days later orders were issued that the brigade under 
Macdonald, consisting of the 3rd Egyptians, and the 9th, 
10th, and 11th Soudanese, together with a mule battery, were 
to move forward the next day to Kassinger, the advanced 
post some ten miles higher up the river. This seemed only 
a preliminary step, and the general opinion was that another 


132 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


fortnight would elapse before there would be a general move- 
ment. A reconnaissance with friendly Arabs had, however, 
been made ahead towards Abu Hamed, and had obtained cer- 
tain information that the garrison at that place was by no 
means a strong one. The information Gregory had gathered 
had shown that Mahmud had no intention of advancing 
against Merawi, and that no reinforcements had as yet started 
to join the force at Abu Hamed, the Dervish leader being 
convinced that the Mile was not yet high enough to admit 
of boats going up the cataract. Thus everything favoured 
the Sirdar’s plan to capture Abu Hamed, and enable the rail- 
way to be constructed to that place before Mahmud could 
receive the news that the troops were in motion. He there- 
fore directed General Hunter to push forward with only one 
brigade, leaving the rest to hold Merawi, and ordered the 
camel corps and the friendly Arabs to advance across the 
desert as far as the Gakdul wells, where their appearance 
would lead Mahmud to believe that they, were the advance- 
guard of the coming army. Two days later Gregory, on 
going to the head-quarters tent, was told that General 
Hunter and his staff would start in an houf’s time to inspect 
the camp at Kassinger. 

Do you think you are fit to ride ? ” the chief of the staff 
asked him. 

Perfectly, sir. The doctor discharged me yesterday as fit 
for duty, but advised me to keep my arm in a sling for a 
time.” , 

“ In that case you may accompany us. It is a little uncer- 
tain when we shall return,” the officer said with a smile, 
“ therefore I advise you to take all your belongings with you. 
Have them packed up quietly ; we do not wish any suspicions 
to arise that we are not returning this evening.” 

“ Thank you, sir ! ” Gregory said gratefully ; ‘‘ I shall be 
ready to start in an hour.” 

He returned in high glee to his hut, for he felt certain that 
an immediate advance was about to take place. Zaki,” he 


SAFELY BACK 


133 


said, “I am going to ride with the General; and as it is 
possible I may be stationed at Kassinger for a short time, 
you had better get the camel brought up, and start as soon as 
you have packed the things on it. I am going to ride over 
with the staff in an hour, and shall overtake you by the way. 
How long will you be ? ” 

“ Half an hour, bey.” 

“ I will be there by that time, and will take my horse ; then 
you can go on with the camel.” 

Behind the head-quarter camp the work of packing up was 
also going on, the camels being sent off in threes and fours 
as they were laden, so as to attract no attention. Half an 
hour later the General came out, and without delay started - 
with the staff. Captain Fitton remaining behind to see that 
the rest of the stores were sent off and a small tent for the 
use of the General. All heavy packages were to be taken up 
by water. The arrival of the General at Kassinger excited 
no surprise, as he had ridden over the day before; but when 
in the afternoon orders were issued that the camels should 
all be laden in preparation for a march that evening, the 
Soudanese could with difficulty be restrained from giving 
vent to their exuberant joy that at length their long halt was 
at an end, and they were to have another chance of getting 
at the enemy. 

A large train of camels had been quietly collected at 
Kassinger, sufficient to carry the necessary supplies for the 
use of the column for some three weeks^ time, and it was 
hoped that before long the gun-boats and many of the native 
craft with stores would join them at Abu Hamed. The force 
started at sunset. The distance to be travelled was a hun- 
dred and eighteen miles, and the road was a very difficult 
one. The ground rose steeply almost from the edge of the 
river, and at times had to be traversed in single file. As 
night came on, the scene was a weird one. On one side the 
rocky ascent rose black and threatening; on the other, the 
river rushed foaming, only broken by the rocks and little 
islands of the cataract. 


134 WITH KITCHENEE IH THE SOUDAN 

(Gregory had been ordered to remain with the camel train, 
to keep them as much as possible together, and prevent wide 
gaps from occurring in the ranks. It was tedious work, and 
the end of the train did not arrive until broad daylight at 
the spot where the infantry halted. He at once told Zaki 
to pitch his little tent, which he had already shown him how 
to do, while he went to see if there were any orders at head- 
quarters. He found the staff were just sitting down to a 
rough breakfast. Being told after the meal that he would 
not be wanted during the day, but that at night he was to 
continue his work with the camels, he went back to his tent 
and threw himself on his bed. But, in spite of the fly being 
fastened up and a blanket thrown over the tent, the heat was 
so great that he was only able to doze off occasionally. 

He observed that even the black troops suffered from the 
heat. They had erected screens with their blankets placed 
end to end, supported by their guns, and lay there, getting 
what air there was, and sheltered from the direct rays of the 
sun. Few slept ; most of them talked or smoked. There was 
some argument among the officers as to the relative advan- 
tages of night and day marches. All agreed that if only one 
march had to be done it was better to do it at night; but 
when, as in the present case, it would last for seven or eight 
days, many thought that, terrible as would be the heat, it 
would be better to march in the day and permit the troops to 
sleep at night. This opinion certainly seemed to be justified, 
for at the end of the third day the men were so completely 
worn out from want of sleep that they stumbled as they 
marched, and were with difficulty restrained from throwing 
themselves down to get the much-needed rest. 

Gregory always went down as soon as the column arrived 
at its halting-place, as he did before starting in the evening, 
to bathe in some quiet pool or back-water; and much as he 
had set himself against taking spirits, he found that he was 
unable to eat his meals unless he took a spoonful or two with 
his water or cold tea. 

On the evening of the third day they passed the battle- 


SAFELY BACK 


135 


field of Kirkeban, where General Earle fell when the Rivor 
Expedition was attacked by the Dervishes. Next day they 
halted at Hebbeh, where Colonel Stewart, on his way down 
with a number of refugees from Khartoum, was treacherously 
murdered; a portion of the steamer was still visible in the 
river. Day after day the column plodded on, for the most 
part strung out in single file, the line extending over many 
miles, and late on the evening of the 6th of August they 
reached a spot within a mile and a half of Abu Hamed, the 
hundred and eighteen miles having been accomplished in 
seven days and a half. 

So far as they knew, the enemy had as yet received no 
news of their approach. Three hours’ rest was given the 
troops, and then they marched out in order of battle. A fair 
idea of the position had been obtained from the friendly 
natives. Abu Hamed lay on the river. The desert sloped 
gradually down to it on all sides, with a sharp, deep descent 
within two hundred yards of the town. The houses were 
all loopholed for defence. When within a mile of the town 
they must have been sighted by the Dervish sentries on a 
lofty watch-tower. Ko movement, however, was visible, and 
there was a general feeling of disappointment as the impres- 
sion gained ground that the enemy had retreated. The 9th 
and 10th Soudanese made a sweep round to attack from the 
desert side; the 11th, and half of the Egyptian battalion — 
the other half having been left to guard the baggage — ^fol- 
lowed the course of the river. 

Major Kincaid rode forward to the edge of the steep slope 
that looked down to the town. He could see no one moving 
about. The Dervish trenches, about eighty yards away, ap- 
peared empty, and he was about to write a message to the 
General saying that the place was deserted, when a sharp 
fire suddenly opened upon him. He turned to ride back to 
warn the General, but he was too late, for at the same mo- 
ment Hunter with his staff galloped up to the edge of the 
slope and was immediately saluted by a heavy volley, which. 


136 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


however, was fired so wildly that none of the party was hit. 
The artillery were now ordered to bombard the place. At 
first they could only fire at the tops of the houses, but, chang- 
ing their position, they found a spot where they could 
command the town. For half an hour this continued. The 
infantry were drawn up just beyond the brow, where they 
could not be seen by the defenders. The Dervishes gave no 
signs of life, and as the artillery could not depress their guns 
sufficiently to enable them to rake the trenches, the infantry 
were ordered to charge. 

As soon as they reached the edge of the dip a storm of 
musketry broke out from the Dervish trenches, but fortu- 
nately the greater portion of the bullets flew overhead. 
Macdonald had intended to carry the place at the point of the 
bayonet without firing, but the troops, suddenly exposed to 
such a storm of musketry, halted and opened fire without 
orders, the result being that they suffered a great deal more 
than they would have done had they crossed the eighty yards 
which divided them from the trench by a rush. Standing 
as they did against the sky-line, the Dervishes were able to 
pick them off, they themselves showing only their heads above 
the trenches. Two of the mounted officers of the 10th were 
killed, and two had their horses shot under them. Macdon- 
ald and his officers rushed along in front of the line, knocking 
up the men^s muskets, and abusing them in the strongest 
terms for their disobedience to orders. 

The moment the fire ceased the troops rushed forward, and 
the Dervishes at once abandoned their trenches and ran back 
to the line of houses. These were crowded together, divided 
by narrow winding lanes, and here a desperate struggle took 
place. The Dervishes defended themselves with the greatest 
tenacity, sometimes rushing out and hurling themselves upon 
their assailants, and defending the houses to the last, making 
a stand when the doors were burst open, until the last of 
the inmates were either shot or bayoneted. So determined 
was the defence of some of the larger houses, that it 


SAFELY BACK 


137 


necessary to bring up the guns and batter an entrance. 
Many of the houses were found, when the troops burst in, to 
be tenanted only by dead, for the Soudanese always heralded 
their attack by firing several volleys, and the bullets made 
their way through and through the mud walls as if they had 
been paper. About seventy or eighty horsemen and a hun- 
dred Dervish infantry escaped, but the rest were either 
killed or made prisoners, together with Mahomed Zein, the 
governor. A quantity of arms, camels, and horses were also 
I captured. The loss on our side was two British officers killed 

I and twenty-one of the black troops, and three Egyptian 

officers and sixty-one men wounded. 

When the convoy halted previous to the troops marching 
I to the attack, Gregory, whose duties with the baggage had 
now ended, joined the General’s staff and rode forward with 
them. Hunter had glanced round as he rode up, and an- 
swered with a nod when he saluted and asked if he could 
come. He felt rather scared on the Dervishes opening fire 
so suddenly, when the General’s impatience had led him to 
ride forward without waiting for Major Kincaid’s report. 
After the troops rushed into the town the General maintained 
his position at the edge of the dip, for the narrow streets 
were so crowded with men that a group of horsemen could 
hardly have forced their way in, and it would be impossible 
to see what was going on and to issue orders. 

Mahomed Zein had not followed the example of some of 
his followers and died fighting to the last. He was found 
hiding under a bed, and was brought before General Hunter, 
who asked him why he fought when he must have known 
that it was useless, to which he replied: knew that you 

had only three times as many as I had, and every one of my 
men is worth four of yours. You could not fire till you 
were quite close up, and at that range our rifles are as good 
as yours.” The General asked what he thought Mahmud 
would do, to which he replied: “He will be down here in 
five days and wipe you out 1 ” 


138 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


It was necessary to halt at Abu Hamed until stores came 
up. Captain Keppel, K.H., and the officers commanding the 
gun-boats were toiling at the cataracts to bring them up; 
nevertheless one of these was capsized, and only three got 
through safely. Major Pink with a large number of troops 
from Merawi succeeded in hauling the sailing boats through. 
A large column of laden camels was at the same time being 
pushed forward by the caravan route from Korosko. It was 
a time of much anxiety till stores began to arrive, for had 
Mahmud advanced at once the passage up the river would 
have been arrested and the land column cut off, in which case 
the little force would have been reduced to sore straits, as 
they must have stood on the defensive until reinforcements 
reached them. There was, too, some anxiety as to the safety 
of the forces at Ambukol and Korti, for Mahmud, on learn- 
ing that the garrisons had been weakened by the despatch of 
troops to Abu Hamed, might have crossed the desert with all 
his force and fallen upon them. Mahmud had indeed, as it 
turned out, believed that the expedition to Abu Hamed was 
only undertaken to cover the flank of the Egyptian army 
from attack from that quarter, and still believed that it was 
from Merawi that the main British force would advance 
against him. 

Before the supplies had all arrived the position changed, 
as news came that Berber was being evacuated by the Der- 
vishes. The information was telegraphed to the Sirdar, who 
at once ordered that a force of the friendly Arabs, escorted 
by a gun-boat, should go up to Berber to And if the news was 
true. One gun-boat had already arrived, and General Hunter 
decided on going up in her himself. Two hundred of the 
Arabs, under Ahmed Bey, were to ride along the bank. They 
were to be mounted on the fastest camels that could be 
picked out, so that if they encountered the Dervishes they 
would have a fair chance of escaping and getting under cover 
of the gun-boat^s Are. 

“Mr. Hilliard,” the General said, “I shall be obliged if 


SAFELY BACK 


139 


you will accompany Ahmed Bey; the Arabs are always more 
steady if they have an English officer with them. They will 
be ready to start in an hour. A signaller from the 11th 
Soudanese shall go with you, and you can notify to us the 
approach of any strong party of the enemy and their direc- 
tion, so that the gun-boat can send a shell or two among them 
as a hint that they had better keep out of range.” 

As his baggage-camel was by no means a fast one, Gregory 
at first decided to leave it behind in charge of Zaki, but on 
going across to the Arab camp Ahmed Bey at once offered to 
place a fast one at his disposal. He accordingly sent his 
own animal into the transport yard, committed the heavy 
wooden case with the greater portion of his remaining stores 
to the charge of the sergeant of the mess, retaining only 
three or four tins of preserved milk, some tea, four or five 
tins of meat, a bottle of brandy, and a few other necessaries ; 
to these were added half a sheep and a few pounds of rice. 
These, with his tent and other belongings, were packed on 
the Arab camel, and Zaki rode beside it with great satisfac- 
tion, for he had been greatly cast down when his master first 
told him that he would have to remain behind. All the prep- 
arations were made in great haste, but they were completed 
just as Ahmed Bey moved out of his camp with his two 
hundred picked men and camels. 

Five minutes later a whistle from the steamer told them 
that General Hunter and the party with him were also on 
the point of starting. The distance to be traversed to Berber 
was a hundred and thirty miles, and the expedition was un- 
doubtedly a hazardous one. Even if the news was true that 
the five thousand Dervishes who had been holding Berber 
had evacuated the town, it was quite possible that a part of 
the force had been sent down the river to oppose any advance 
that might be made, or, if unable to do this, to carry the news 
of the advance to Mahmud. The Arabs were to keep abreast 
of the gun-boat, and would, where the shores were fiat, be 
covered by its guns. But at spots where the ground was high 


140 


WITH KITCHENEE IN THE SOUDAN 


and precipitous this assistance could scarcely avail them in 
case of an attack, unless the hundred soldiers on board the 
steamer could be landed. 

As they rode along, Ahmed Bey explained to Gregory the 
plan that he should adopt if they were attacked in such a 
position and found their retreat cut off. “ The camels will 
all be made to lie down, and we shall fight behind them, as 
in an entrenchment. My men are all armed with rifles the 
government has given them, and we could beat off an attack 
by a great number, while if we were on our camels and pur- 
sued we should soon lose all order, and our shooting would 
be bad.’^ 

“ I think that would be by far the best plan, sheik. Your 
two hundred men and the hundred the gun-boat could land 
ought to be able to make a tough fight of it against any 
number of the enemy. How long do you think we shall be 
on the way ? ” 

About four days. The camels can easily travel thirty- 
five miles a day. We have six days^ provisions with us, in 
case the gun-boat cannot make its way up. Fortunately we 
have not to carry water, so that each camel only takes twenty 
pounds of food for its rider and forty pounds of grain for 
itself. If we were pursued, we could throw that away, as we 
should only have to ride to some point where the gun-boat 
could protect us. We could not hope to escape by speed, for 
the Dervishes could ride and run quite as fast as the camels 
could go.” 


AFLOAT 


141 


CHAPTER X 

AFLOAT 

first three day’s journey passed without any advent- 
J- -Qre. From the natives who still remained in the little 
villages they passed, they learned that the report that the 
Dervishes had left Berber was generally believed ; but whether 
they had marched for Metemmeh or for some other point 
was unknown. The people were delighted to see the gun- 
boat, as until its arrival they had been in hourly fear of 
raiding parties. They had heard of the capture of Abu 
Hamed by the British from horsemen who had escaped, but 
all these had said confidently that Mahmud would speedily 
drive them out again, and they had been in hourly fear that 
the Dervishes would swoop down upon them and carry off 
the few possessions still remaining to them. When within 
thirty miles of Berber the Arabs had halted on the bank, 
watching the gun-boat as, with great difficulty, it made its 
way up a cataract. Suddenly it was seen to stop, and a great 
bustle was observed on board. An exclamation of grief burst 
from the Arabs. 

“ She has struck on a rock ! ” Ahmed Bey exclaimed. 

“ I am afraid she has,” said Gregory, who had all along 
ridden by his side at the head of the party. “I am afraid 
so; I hope she is not injured.” 

Unfortunately the damage was serious. A hole had been 
knocked through her side under water, and the water poured 
in in volumes. A rush was made by those on board, and 
beds, pillows, and blankets were stuffed into the hole. This 
succeeded to some extent, and she was brought alongside the 
bank. The sheik and Gregory went down to meet her. Gen- 
eral Hunter came to the side. 

“ A large hole has been knocked in her,” he said to the ■ 
sheik; ^^we shall have to get the guns and stores on shore to 


142 


WITH KITCHEHER IH THE SOHDAH 


lighten her, and then heel her over to get at the hole. It 
will certainly take two or three days; by that time I hope the 
other gun-boat will be up. In the meantime, you must go 
on to Berber. I think there can be no doubt that the Der- 
vishes have all left, but it is most important that we should 
know it for certain. You must push straight on, and as soon 
as you arrive there, send word on to me by the fastest camel 
you have. If you are attacked, you will, of course, defend 
yourselves. Take up a position close to the river, and hold it 
until you are relieved. If you can send oiff news to me by a 
camel, do so; if not, seize a boat — there are some at every 
village — and send the news down by water. I will come on at 
once with everyone here to assist you.” 

I will do as you order,” the sheik said, and if you see 
us no more, you will know that we died as brave men.” * 

“ I hope there is no fear of that,” the General said cheer- 
fully. “ You will defend yourselves as brave men if you are 
attacked I am sure ; but as I am convinced that the Dervishes 
have left Berber, I think there is little fear of your falling in 
with them.” 

Then he went on in English to Gregory. 

^‘Keep them moving, Mr. Hilliard. Let them go as fast 
as they can; they are less likely to get nervous if they are 
riding hard than they would be if they dawdled along. If 
they press their camels they will be in Berber this afternoon. 
See that a man starts at once to bring me the news.” 

“ Very well, sir; I will keep them at it if I can.” 

The sheik rejoined his band, which gathered round to hear 
the result of his interview with the white general. 

‘‘ The steamer is injured,” he said, “ but she will soon be 
made right and will follow us. We are to have the honour 
of going on and occupying Berber, and will show ourselves 
worthy of it. There is little chance of our meeting the Der- 
vishes; had they been in Berber we should have heard of 
them before this. If we meet them we will fight, and you, 
Abu, who have the fastest camel among us, will ride back 


AFLOAT 


143 


here at all speed, and the General and his soldiers will come 
up to help us. Now, let us not waste a moment, but push 
forward. In five hours we shall be at Berber, and throughout 
your lives you will be proud to say that you were the first 
to enter the town that the Dervishes have so long held.” 

A few of the men waved their guns and shouted; the 
rest looked grave. However, they obeyed their chief’s orders, 
and the cavalcade at once started. As they did so, Gregory 
drew his horse up alongside Zaki. 

Look here,” he said, “ if we see the Dervishes coming in 
force, I shall come to you at once. You shall take my horse, 
it is faster than yours. I shall give you a note for the Gen- 
eral, and you will ride back at full gallop and give it to him. 
The horse is fast, and there will be no fear of their catching 
you even if they chase, which they will not be likely to do, 
as they will be thinking of attacking us.” 

Very well, master; I will do as you order me, but I would 
rather stop and fight by your side.” 

That you may be able to do some other time, Zaki ; this 
time you have got to fetch aid.” 

Then he rode on to join the chief. There was no talking 
along the line, every man had his rifle unslung and in his 
hand, every eye scanned the country. Hitherto they had had 
unlimited faith in the power of the gun-boat to protect them ; 
now that they might have to face the Dervishes unaided, they 
felt the danger a serious one. They had come to fight the 
Dervishes, and were ready to do so in anything like equal 
numbers, but the force they might meet would possibly be 
greatly stronger than their own, — so strong that although 
they might sell their lives dearly they would in the end be 
overpowered. For the first three hours the camels were kept 
going at the top of their speed, but as they neared Berber 
there was a perceptible slackness. Ahmed Bey and Gregory 
rode backwards and forwards along the line, keeping them 
together and encouraging them. 

“We shall get in without fighting,” the Bey said, “we 


144 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


should have heard before this, had they been there. Do you 
think that they would have remained so long in the town 
if they had learned that there are but two hundred of us 
and one steamer ? Mahmud would never have forgiven them 
had they not fallen upon us and annihilated us. I only hope 
that two hundred will have been left there ; it will add to our 
glory to have won a battle as well as taken the town. Your 
children will talk of it in their tents, your women will be 
proud of you, and the men of the black regiments will say 
that we have shown ourselves to be as brave as they are. We 
will halt for half an hour, rest the camels, and then push on 
at full speed again; but mind, you have my orders: if you 
should see the enemy coming in force, you are to ride at once 
to the river bank, dismount, and make the camels lie down 
in a semicircle; then we have but to keep calm and shoot 
straight and we need not fear the Dervishes, however many of 
them there may be.” 

After the halt they again pushed forward. Gregory saw 
with pleasure that the Arabs were now thoroughly wound up 
to fighting point. The same vigilant watch was kept up as 
before, but the air of gloom that had hung over them when 
they first started had now disappeared; each man was ready 
to fight to the last. As the town was seen, the tension was 
at its highest, but the pace quickened rather than relaxed. 

“Mow is the moment!” the Bey shouted. “If they are 
there they will come out to fight us; if in five minutes they 
do not appear, it will be because they have all gone.” 

But there were no signs of the enemy, no clouds of dust 
rising in the town that would tell of a hasty gathering. At 
last they entered a straggling street; the women looked 
timidly from the windows, and then, on seeing that their 
robes did not bear the black patches worn by the Dervishes, 
they broke into loud cries of welcome. 

“ Are the Dervishes all gone ? ” Ahmed Bey asked, reining 
in his camel. 

“ They are all gone, the last left four days ago.” 


AFLOAT 


145 


The sheik waved his rifle over his head, and his followers 
burst into loud shouts of triumph and pressed on, firing their 
muskets in the air. As they proceeded, the natives poured 
out from their houses in wild delight. The Arabs kept on 
till they reached the house formerly occupied by the Egyp- 
tian governor. 

“ I should say that you had better take possession of this, 
Bey. There seems to be a large courtyard where you can put 
your camels. It is not likely that the Dervishes will return, 
but it is as well to be prepared. The house is strong, and we 
could hold out here against a host unless they were provided 
with cannon. I have money, and you had better buy up as 
much food as possible, so that we could stand a siege for some 
time. I shall give my horse a good feed and an hour’s rest, 
and then send my man down to the General, telling him that 
the Dervishes have deserted the town, and that we have taken 
possession of the place and can defend it for a long time 
should they return.” 

An hour later Zaki started with Gregory’s report. The 
inhabitants, finding that they would be paid, brought out 
their hidden stores, and by evening enough was collected to 
last the garrison ten days. Zaki returned at noon next day 
with a letter from General Hunter to the sheik, praising 
him highly for the energy and courage of his men and him- 
self. He also brought a note for Gregory, saying that he 
hoped to get the repairs finished the next day, and that he 
expected by that time the other two steamers would be up, 
when he should at once advance to Berber. On the third 
day the smoke of the steamers was seen in the distance, and 
an hour later the gun-boats arrived, and were greeted with 
cries of welcome by the natives who thronged the bank. The 
three boats carried between three and four hundred men. 
These were disembarked on an island opposite the town, and 
the gun-boats moored alongside. General Hunter at once 
landed with those of his staff who had accompanied him. 
He shook hands very cordially with the sheik. 


146 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


‘‘You have done well indeed!” he said. “It was a dan- 
gerous enterprise, and had I not known your courage and 
that of your men, I should not have ventured to send you 
forward. You have fully justified my confidence in you. In 
the first place I will go and see the house you have occupied. 
I shall leave you still in possession of it, but I do not intend 
that you should hold it. In case Mahmud comes down upon 
you, at once embark in boats and cross to the islands. It 
will be some time before I can gather here a force strong 
enough to hold the town against attack. Indeed it will prob- 
ably be some weeks, for until the railway is finished to Abu 
Hamed, I can only get up stores sufficient for the men here ; 
certainly we have no transport that could keep up the supply 
for the whole force. However, all this will be settled by the 
Sirdar, who will very shortly be with us.” 

It was now the 6th of September, and the same afternoon 
two gun-boats were sent up to Ed Darner, an important 
position lying a mile or two beyond the junction of Atbara 
river with the Mile. On the opposite bank of the Nile they 
found encamped the Dervishes who had retired from Berber. 
The guns opened fire upon them, and they retired inland, 
leaving behind them fourteen large boats laden with grain. 
These were at once sent down to Berber, where they were 
most welcome, and a portion of the grain was distributed 
among the almost starving population, nearly five thousand 
in number, principally women and children. Supplies soon 
began to arrive from below, being brought up in native craft 
from Abu Hamed as far as the cataract, then unloaded and 
carried up past the rapids on camels, then again placed in 
boats and so brought to Berber. Macdonald’s brigade 
started a fortnight after the occupation, their place at Abu 
Hamed having been taken by a brigade from Kassinger, each 
battalion having towed up boats carrying two months’ sup- 
ply of provisions. 

A fort was now erected at the junction of the two rivers, 
and occupied by a small force under an English officer. Two 


AFLOAT 


147 


small steamers were employed in towing the native craft from 
Abu Hamed to Berber. Still, it was evident that it would be 
impossible to accumulate the necessary stores for the whole 
force that would take the field; accordingly, as soon as the 
railway reached Abu Hamed the Sirdar ordered it to be car- 
ried on as far as Berber. He himself came up with Colonel 
Wingate, the head of the Intelligence Department, and dili- 
gently as all had worked before, their exertions were now 
redoubled. 

On the morning after the Sirdar’s arrival, an orderly came 
across to General Hunter’s quarters with a request that Mr. 
Hilliard should at once be sent to head-quarters. Gregory 
had to wait nearly half an hour until the officers who had 
been there before him had had their audience and received 
their orders. He was then shown in. 

You have done very valuable service, Mr. Hilliard,” the 
Sirdar said, “ exceptionally valuable, and obtained at extraor- 
dinary risk. I certainly did not expect, when I saw you a 
few months ago in Cairo, that you would so speedily dis- 
tinguish yourself. I was then struck with your manner, and 
thought that you would do well, and you have much more 
than fulfilled my expectations. I shall keep my eye upon 
you, and shall see that you have every opportunity of con- 
tinuing as you have begun.” 

That evening General Hunter suggested to Colonel Win- 
gate that Gregory should be handed over to him. “ There 
will be nothing for him to do with me at present,” he said, 

and I am sure that you will find him very useful. Putting 
aside the expedition he undertook to Metemmeh, he is a most 
zealous young officer. Although his wound was scarcely 
healed, he took charge of the baggage animals on the way 
up from Merawi to Abu Hamed, and came forward here with 
Ahmed Bey and his followers, and in both cases he was most 
useful. But at the present I cannot find any employment for 
him.” 

I will have a talk with him,” Colonel Wingate said. “ I 


148 WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 

think I can make good use of him. Captain Keppel asked me 
this morning if I could furnish him with a good interpreter. 
He is going up the river in a day or two, and as neither he 
nor the other naval officers know much Arabic, Mr. Hilliard 
would be of considerable service to them in questioning any 
prisoners who may be captured as to hidden guns or other 
matters. I should think, from what you tell me, Mr. Hilliard 
will be very suitable for the post.” 

“ The very man for it. He is a very pleasant lad — for he 
is not more than that, — quiet and gentlemanly, and yet full 
of life and go, and will be certain to get on well with a naval 
man.” On returning to his quarters General Hunter sent 
for Gregory. 

“ You will please go to Colonel Wingate, Mr. Hilliard. I 
have been speaking to him about you, and as it may be months 
before things are ready for the final advance, and I am sure 
you would prefer to be actively employed, I proposed to him 
that he should utilize your services, and it happens, fortu- 
nately, that he is able to do so. The gun-boats will be run- 
ning up and down the river, stirring up the Dervishes at 
Metemmeh and other places, and as neither Keppel nor the 
commanders of the other two boats can speak Arabic with 
anything like fluency, it is important that he should have an 
interpreter. I think you will find the berth a pleasant one. 
Of course I don’t know what arrangements will be made, or 
whether you would permanently live on board one of the 
boats. If so, I think you would be envied by all of us, as 
you would get away from the dust and all the discomforts 
of the encampment.” 

Thank you very much, sir ! It would indeed be pleasant, 
and I was beginning to feel that I was very useless here.’^ 

^^You have not been useless at all, Mr. Hilliard. The 
Sirdar asked me about you, and I was able to give him a very 
favourable report of your readiness to be of service for what- 
ever work I have foutid foryOiT^to do. I have told him that 
I had great doubts whether- Bey would have pushed 


AFLOAT 149 

forward to this place after he- had lost the protection of the 
gun-boats if you had not been with him.” 

Gregory at once went to the quarters of Colonel Wingate 
and sent in his name. In two or three minutes he was shown 
in. A naval officer was in the room with the colonel. “ You 
have come at the right time, Mr. Hilliard. I was just speak- 
ing of you to Captain Keppel. I suppose General Hunter 
has told you how I proposed utilizing your services ? ” 

Yes, sir, he was good enough to tell me.” 

“ You speak both Arabic and the negro dialect perfectly, 
I am told ? ” 

“ I speak them very fluently, almost as well as English.” 

“ J ust at present you could not be of much use to me, Mr. 
Hilliard. Of course I get all my intelligence from natives, 
and have no occasion to send white officers out as scouts. 
Otherwise, from the very favourable report that I have re- 
ceived from General Hunter, I should have been glad to have 
you with me; but I have no doubt that you would prefer to 
be in one of the gun-boats. They are certain to have a more 
stirring time of it for the next few weeks than we shall have 
here.” 

I should like it greatly, sir, if Captain Keppel thinks I 
shall do.” 

I have no doubt about that,” the officer said with a smile. 
“ I shall rate you as a first lieutenant and midshipman all in 
one, and I may say that I shall be very glad to have a white 
officer with me. There are one or two spare cabins aft, and 
you had better have your traps moved in at once; I may be 
starting to-morrow.” 

Shall I take my servant with me, sir? ” 

“ Yes, you may take him if you like. I suppose you have 
a horse ? ” 

Yes, sir, a horse and a camel; but I shall have no difficulty 
in managing about them, 
a few stores, shall I bring 
“Ho, there is no 



150 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


me. Thank goodness, we left naval etiquette behind us when 
we came up the Nile, and it is not imperative that I should 
dine in solitary state. Besides, you have been on Hunter’s 
staff, have you not ? ” 

Yes.” 

“ I know his staff all mess together. I shall be very glad 
to have you with me. It is lonely work always messing alone. 
My boat is the Zaiir, you know. You had better come on 
board before eight o’clock to-morrow morning, that is my 
breakfast hour.” 

Gregory needed but littl'e time to make his arrangements. 
The transport department took over Zaki’s horse and camel 
and gave him a receipt for them, so that when he returned, 
those or others could be handed over to him. One of the 
staff who wanted a second horse was glad to take charge of 
his mount. The tent, and the big case, and his other belong- 
ings were handed over to the stores. Zaki was delighted 
when he heard that he was going up in a gun-boat that would 
probably shell Metemmeh and knock some of the Dervish 
fortifications to pieces. 

“ What shall I have to do, master? ” he asked. 

Not much, Zaki. You will brush my clothes and make 
my bed, and do anything that I want done, but beyond that 
I cannot tell you. I am really taking you, not because I 
think you will be of much use, but because I like to have you 
with me. Besides, I sha’n’t have much to do, and the English 
officer who commands will have plenty to look after, so that 
I shall be glad to talk occasionally with you. However, as 
I know the gun-boats carry Maxim guns, and each have two 
sergeants of the marine artillery, I will hand you over to 
them, and ask them to put you in the Maxim crew. Then 
you will have the satisfaction of helping to fire at your old 
enemies.” 

Zaki’s eyes glistened at the prospect. They killed my 
mother,” he said, and carried off my sisters, and burned our 
house. It will be good to fire at them ; much better this, bey, 
than to load stores at Merawi.” 


AFLOAT 


151 


Gregory was much gratified that evening after mess at the 
kindly manner in which the members of the staff all shook 
hands with him, and said that they were sorry that he was 
going to leave them. General Hunter was dining with the 
Sirdar. The next morning, when Gregory went to say 

Good-bye ” to him, he said : 

I was telling Sir Herbert Kitchener yesterday evening 
that you were transferred to the naval branch. He said: 
‘ The gun-boats will all take up troops, and there will be 
native officers on board. It is a rule in our army, you know, 
that all white officers have the honorary rank of major, so as 
to make them senior to all Egyptian officers. Will you tell 
Mr. Hilliard that I authorize him to call himself Bimbashi? 
There is no occasion to put it in orders ; my authorization is 
sufficient. As long as he was on your staff it did not matter, 
but as presently he may be attached to an Egyptian regiment 
it is as well that he should bear the usual rank, and it may 
save misunderstanding in communicating with the natives. 
He will be much more respected as Bimbashi than he would 
be as lieutenant, a title that they would not understand.’ 
A good many lieutenants in the British Army are Bimbashis 
here, so that there is nothing unusual in your holding that 
honorary rank.” 

“ I would just as soon be lieutenant, sir, so far as I am 
concerned myself, but of course I feel honoured at receiving 
the title. Ho doubt it would be much more pleasant if I 
were attached to an Egyptian regiment. I do not know 
whether it is the proper thing to thank the Sirdar. If it is, 
I shall be greatly obliged if you will convey my thanks to 
him.” 

“I will tell him that you are greatly gratified, Hilliard. 
I have no doubt you owe it not only to your ride to Metem- 
meh, but to my report that I did not think Ahmed Bey would 
have ventured to ride on into Berber had you not been with 
him, and that you advised him as to the defensive position 
he took up here, and prepared for a stout defence until the 


152 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 


boats could come up to his assistance. He said as much to 
me.” 

At the hour named Gregory went on board the Zafir, Zaki 
accompanying him with his small portmanteau and blanket. 

“I see you are punctual, Mr. Hilliard,” the commander 
said cheerily ; “ a great virtue everywhere, but especially on 
board ship, where everything goes by clock-work. Eight bells 
will sound in two minutes, and as they do so my black fellow 
will come up and announce the meal. It is your breakfast 
as much as mine, for I have shipped you on the books this 
morning, and of course you will be rationed. Happily we 
are not confined to that fare. I knew what it was going to 
be, and laid in a good stock of stores. Fortunately, we have 
the advantage over the military that we are not limited as 
to baggage.” 

The breakfast was an excellent one. After it was over, 
Commander Keppel asked Gregory how it was that he had — 
while still so young — obtained a commission, and expressed 
much interest when he had heard his story. 

“ Then you do not intend to remain in the Egyptian 
Army ? ” he said. “ If you have not any fixed career before 
you, I should have thought that you could not do better. The 
Sirdar and General Hunter have both taken a great interest 
in you. It might be necessary perhaps for you to enter the 
British Army and serve for two or three years, so as to get a 
knowledge of drill and discipline; then from your acquaint- 
ance with the languages here you could, of course, get trans- 
ferred to the Egyptian Army, where you would rank as a 
major at once.” 

I have hardly thought of the future yet, sir ; but of course 
I shall have to do so as soon as I am absolutely convinced 
of my father’s death. Beally, I have no hope now, but I 
promised my mother to do everything in my power to ascer- 
tain it for a certainty. She placed a packet in my hands, 
which was not to be opened until I had so satisfied myself. 
I do not know what it contains, but I believe it relates to my 
father’s family. 


AFLOAT 


153 


“ I do not see that that can make any difference to me, for 
I certainly should not care to go home to see relations to 
whom my coming might be unwelcome. I should greatly 
prefer to stay out here for a few years until I had obtained 
such a position as would make me absolutely independent 
of them.” 

“ I can quite understand that,” Captain Keppel said. 

Poor relations seldom get a warm welcome, and as you were 
born in Alexandria they may be altogether unaware of your 
existence. You have certainly been extremely fortunate so 
far, and if you preferred a civil appointment you would be 
pretty certain of getting one when the war is over. There 
will be a big job in organizing this country after the Der- 
vishes are smashed up, and a biggish staff of officials will be 
wanted. No doubt most of these will be Egyptians, but 
Egyptian officials want looking after, so that a good many 
berths must be filled by Englishmen, and Englishmen with 
a knowledge of Arabic and the negro dialect are not very 
easily found. I should say that there will be excellent open- 
ings for young men of capacity.” 

“ I have no doubt there will,” Gregory said. “ I have 
really never thought much about the future. My attention 
from childhood has been fixed upon this journey to the 
Soudan, and I never looked beyond it, nor did my mother 
discuss the future with me. Doubtless she would have done 
so had she lived, and these papers I have may give me her 
advice and opinion about it.” 

“ Well, I must be going on deck,” Captain Keppel said. 
“We shall start in half an hour.” 

The three gun-boats were all of the same design. They 
were fiat-bottomed, so as to draw as little water as possible, 
and had been built and sent out in sections from England. 
They were constructed entirely of steel, and had three decks, 
the lower one having loophole shutters for infantry fire. On 
the upper deck, which was extended over the whole length 
of the boat, was a conning-tower. In the after-portion of 


154 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


the boat, and beneath the upper deck, were cabins for officers. 
Each boat carried a twelve-pounder quick-firing gun forward, 
a howitzer, and four Maxims. The craft were a hundred and 
thirty-five feet long, with a beam of twenty-four feet, and 
drew only three feet and a half of water. They were pro- 
pelled by a stern-wheel. 

At half-past nine the Zafir^s whistle gave the signal, and 
she and her consorts — the Nazie and Fatteh — cast off their 
warps and steamed out into the river. Each boat had on 
board two European engineers, fifty men of the 9th Sou- 
danese, two sergeants of royal marine artillery, and a small 
native crew. 

“ I expect that we shall not make many more trips down 
to Berber,” the Commander said, when they were once fairly 
off. “ The camp at Atbara will be our head-quarters, unless 
indeed Mahmud advances, in which case of course we shall 
be recalled. Until then we shall be patrolling the river up 
to Metemmeh, and making, I hope, an occasional rush as far 
as the next cataract.” 

When evening came on, the steamer tied up to an island 
a few miles north of Shendy. So far they had seen no hostile 
parties — indeed the country was whplly deserted. Next 
morning they started before daybreak; Shendy seemed to be 
in ruins; two Arabs only were seen on the bank. A few shots 
were fired into the town, but there was no reply. Half an 
hour later Metemmeh was seen. It stood half a mile from 
the river. Along the bank were seven mud forts with ex- 
tremely thick and solid walls. Keeping near the opposite 
bank the gun-boats, led by the Zafir, made their way up the 
river. Dervish horsemen could be seen riding from fort to 
fort, doubtless carrying orders. The river was some four 
thousand yards wide, and at this distance the gun-boats 
opened fire at the two nearest forts. The range was soon 
obtained to a nicety, and the white sergeants and native gun- 
ners made splendid practice, every shell bursting upon the 
forts, while the Maxims speedily sent the Dervish horsemen 


AFLOAT 165 

galloping off to the distant hills, on which could be made out 
a large camp. 

The Dervish gunners replied promptly, but the range was 
too great for their old brass guns. Most of the shot fell short, 
though a few, fired at a great elevation, fell beyond the boats. 
One shell, however, struck the Zafir, passing through the deck 
and killing a Soudanese, and a shrapnel-shell burst over the 
Fatteh. After an hour’s fire at this range the gun-boats 
moved up opposite the position and again opened fire with 
shell and shrapnel, committing terrible havoc on the forts, 
whose fire presently slackened suddenly. This was explained 
by the fact that as the gun-boats passed up they saw that the 
embrasures of the forts only commanded the approach from 
the north, and that, once past them, the enemy were unable 
to bring a gun to bear upon the boats. Doubtless the Der- 
vishes had considered it was impossible for any steamer to 
pass up under their fire, and that it was therefore unnecessary 
to widen the embrasures so that the guns could fire upon them 
when facing the forts or going beyond them. 

Suddenly, as all on board were watching the effect of their 
fire, an outburst of musketry broke out from the bushes that 
lined the eastern bank a hundred yards away. Fortunately 
the greater part of the bullets flew overhead, but many rat- 
tled against the side. The Maxims were instantly turned 
upon the unseen enemy, the Soudanese fired volleys, and their 
rash assailants went at once into the thicker bush, many 
dropping before they gained it. The gun-boats now steamed 
slowly up the river, and then turning, retired down stream 
again, shelling the enemy’s position as they passed. As they 
were going down they came upon a number of Dervishes who 
were busy unloading half a dozen native craft. The Maxim 
soon sent them flying, and the boats, which contained horses, 
donkeys, grain, and other goods, were taken in tow by the 
gun-boats, which anchored at the same island as on the pre- 
vious night. 

“ Well, Bimbashi,” Captain Keppel said, when the work 


166 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


for the day was over, “ so you have had your first brush with 
the enemy. What do you think of it ? ” 

“ I would rather that you did not call me Bimbashi, Cap- 
tain Keppel. The title is ridiculous for me, and it was only 
given me that it might be useful when with Egyptian or 
Soudanese soldiers. I should feel really obliged if you would 
simply call me Hilliard. I felt all right, sir, during the fight, 
except that I envied the gunners, who were doing something 
while I had nothing to do but look on. It certainly made me 
jump when that shell struck the boat, because I had quite 
made up my mind that their guns would not carry so far, 
and so it was a complete surprise to me.” 

Yes, it was a very harmless affair; still, it was good as a 
preparation for something more severe. You have got ac- 
customed to the noise now, and that is always as great a trial 
to the nerves as actual danger.” 

I wish I could be doing something, sir; everyone else had 
some duty, from yourself down to the black firemen, — even 
my servant made himself useful in carrying up shot.” 

I tell you what I will do, Mr. Hilliard ; I will get those 
marine sergeants to instruct you in the working of the Maxim 
and in the duties of the men attending on it. Then next 
time we come up I will put you in command of one of them. 
Your duties will not be severe, as you would simply direct 
the men as to the object at which they are to aim, watch the 
effect and direction of the bullets, and see that they change 
their aim as circumstances may direct. The black gunners 
are well trained and know their work ; still, if by any chance 
the gun jams, it will be useful for you to be able to show them 
what to do even though they know it as well as, or better 
than, you do yourself. The blacks like being commanded by 
a white officer, and will feel pleased rather than otherwise 
at your being appointed to command their gun. Your les- 
sons cannot begin for a day or two, for I have not done with 
Metemmeh yet.” 

am very much obliged to you indeed,” Gregory said 


AFLOAT 157 

warmly. “ I will take care not to interfere with the men^s 
working of the gun.” 

“No, you will not have to do that; but a word or two of 
commendation when they make good practice pleases them 
immensely, and they will work all the better and faster for 
your standing by them.” 

At daybreak next morning the gun-boats went' up again 
and engaged the forts as before. The Dervishes had placed 
more guns in position, but again the shells fell short, while 
those of the boats played havoc with the enemy’s defences. 
Some ten thousand of the Dervish horse and foot came down 
near the town in readiness to repel any attempt at a landing. 
After some hours’ bombardment the gun-boats retired. As 
they steamed away, the Dervish host were shouting and wav- 
ing their banners, evidently considering that they had won a 
great victory. Having fulfilled their object, which was to 
retain Mahmud at Metemmeh by showing him that if he 
advanced against Merawi and Dongola we had it in our 
power to occupy the town, and so cut off his retreat and pre- 
vent reinforcements or stores from reaching him from 
Omdurman, the gun-boats returned to Berber. 

So far Gregory had had no duties to perform in his capac- 
ity of interpreter, for no prisoners had been taken. On the 
way down the river one of the artillery sergeants explained 
the working of the Maxim to him, taking the weapon to 
pieces and explaining to him how each part acted, and then 
showing him how to put it together again. The sergeant 
having done this several times, Gregory was then told to 
perform the operation himself, and the lessons continued 
after their arrival at Berber. In the course of a week he was 
able to do tliis smartly, and had learned, in case of a break- 
down, which parts of the mechanism would most probably 
have given way, and how to replace broken parts by spare 
ones carried up for the purpose. There was no long rest at 
Berber, and on the 1st of November the gun-boats again 
went up the river, reinforced by the Metemmeh^ which had 


158 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


now arrived. Each boat, as before, carried fifty soldiers, and 
Major Stuart- Wortley went up as staff-officer. The evening 
before starting they received the welcome news that the rail- 
way line had that day reached Abu Hamed. This time there 
was but a short pause made opposite Metemmeh, and after 
shelling the forts, which had been added to since the last visit, 
they proceeded up the river. Shortly after passing the town 
a large Dervish camp was seen in a valley, and this, they 
afterwards found, was occupied by the force that had re- 
turned from Berber. A heavy fire of shell and shrapnel was 
opened upon it, and it was speedily destroyed. The gun- 
boats then went up as high as the sixth cataract. The coun- 
try was found to be absolutely deserted, neither a peasant 
nor a Dervish being visible. Having thus accompHshed the 
object of their reconnaissance, the flotilla returned, ex- 
changed fire with the Metemmeh batteries, and then kept on 
their way down to Berber. 


CHAPTER XI 

A PRISONER 

R ather than remain unoccupied on board the gun-boat, 
Gregory went to Colonel Wingate’s head-quarters and 
said that he should be very glad if he would allow him, while 
the flotilla remained at Berber, to assist in interrogating the 
fugitives who arrived from the south, and the spies employed 
to gain early information of the intentions and movements 
of the enemy. The position of the Dervishes at Metemmeh 
was becoming critical. The Khalifa was desirous that Mah- 
mud should return with his force to Omdurman, there to take 
part in the battle in which, as he was convinced, the invaders 
would be annihilated. Mahmud, who was of an eager and 
impetuous disposition, was anxious to take the offensive at 
once, and either to march upon Merawi and Doigola, or to 
drive the British out of Berber. 


A PRISONER 


159 


There could be no doubt that his view was a more sagacious 
one than that of his father, and that the best tactics to be 
adopted were to harass the British advance, fall upon their 
convoys, cut their communications, and so oblige them to 
fall back for want of supplies. The Khalifa’s mistake 
was similar to that made by Theodore in Abyssinia and 
Koffee Kalkalli in Ashanti. Had either of these leaders 
adopted the system of harassing the invaders from the mo- 
ment they left the coast, it would have been next to impossi- 
ble for the Tatter to arrive at their destination. But each 
allowed them to march on unmolested until within striking 
distance, then hazarded everything on the fortune of a single 
battle, and lost. Mahmud made no movement in obedience 
to the Khalifa’s orders to retire to Omdurman, and the latter 
thereupon refused to send any further supplies to him, and 
Mahmud’s army was therefore obliged to rely upon raids and 
plunder for subsistence. 

These raids were carried out with great boldness, and 
villages situated within a few miles of Berber were attacked. 
The Dervishes, however, met with a much warmer reception 
than they had expected, for rifles and ammunition had been 
served out freely to the villagers ; and these, knowing the fate 
that awaited them were the Dervishes victorious, offered so 
obstinate a resistance that the latter fell back discomfited. 
Early in January the Sirdar learned that the Khalifa had 
changed his mind, and had sent peremptory orders to Mah- 
mud to advance and drive the British out of Berber and 
destroy the railway. Mahmud had now been joined by 
Osman Digna with five thousand men; and as the Egyptian 
troops, well as they had fought, had never yet been opposed 
to so formidable a force as that which Mahmud commanded, 
the Sirdar telegraphed to England for white troops. His 
request was at once complied with. The Warwickshires, 
Lincolnshires, and Cameron Highlanders were ordered to 
proceed from Cairo and Alexandria to the front, and the 
Seaforth Highlanders at Malta and the Northumberland 


160 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOTTDAN 


Fusiliers at Gibraltar were also despatched without delay. 
Major-General Gatacre was appointed to the command of 
the brigade. 

At the end of the third week in January the three regi- 
ments from Lower Egypt had arrived at Wady Haifa, and 
the Seaforths at Assouan. At the beginning of February 
the British brigade was carried by railway to Abu Dis. Here 
they remained until the 26th, when they marched to Berber, 
and then to a camp ten miles north of the Atbara, where they 
arrived on the 4th of March, having covered a hundred and 
forty-four miles in six days and a half, a great feat in such 
a climate. Mahmud had made no movement until the 10th 
of February, when he began to cross the Mile to Shendy. 
This movement had not been expected by the Sirdar, and 
was hailed by him with satisfaction. Had Mahmud remained 
at Metemmeh he could, aided by the forts, his artillery, and 
the walled town, have offered a very formidable resistance. 
Had he marched along the banks of the Nile he would have 
been exposed to the fire of the gun-boats, but these could not 
have arrested his course. The country round Berber was 
favourable to the action of his cavalry, and if defeated he 
could have fallen back unmolested through Metemmeh on 
Omdurman ; but by crossing the river he practically cut him- 
self off from the Dervish base, and now had only a desert 
behind him, for we had taken over Kassala from the Italians, 
and the Egyptian battalion there and a large force of friendly 
Arabs would prevent him from retiring up the banks of the 
Atbara. 

Mahmud’s plan was to march along the Nile to Aliab, then 
to cross the desert to Hudi at an angle of the river whence 
a direct march of twenty-five miles would take him to Berber, 
and in this way he would avoid our strong position at the 
junction of the Atbara and the Nile. It would have been 
easy for the gun-boats to prevent Mahmud from crossing the 
Nile, but the Sirdar was glad to allow him to do so. The 
movement afforded him time to concentrate his force and to 


A PRISONER 


161 


get up large supplies. For each day the distance that these 
could be transported by the railway had increased, and he 
saw that when the time for fighting came the victory would 
be a decisive one, and that few indeed of Mahmud’s men 
would ever be able to make their way to Omdurman and swell 
the Khalifa’s force there. 

On one occasion, however, the gun-boats went up to watch 
what was going on, and take advantage of any opportunity 
that might offer to destroy some of Mahmud’s boats, and 
thus render the work of his getting his force over slower and 
more difficult. 

An entrenchment had been thrown up at the point where 
the Dervishes crossed, and this had been manned by two 
hundred and fifty riflemen. The Zafir steamed up close to 
the bank and opened fire with her Maxims. Another gun- 
boat sank one large craft and captured two others, and the 
troops landed and, covered by the fire of the guns, captured 
a fourth which had grounded in shallow water. A smaller 
boat was half-way across the river when the gun-boats ar- 
rived. It was seen that there were several women on board, 
and as the capture would have been of no value, no regard 
was paid to it. As it would have been as dangerous to return 
as to keep on, the boatmen plied their hardest to get across, 
but the stream carried them down near the Zafir. The boat 
was quite unnoticed, all eyes being intent upon the shore. 
She was passing about thirty yards astern of the gun-boat 
when a badly aimed shell from a Dervish battery struck her, 
and she sank almost instantly. 

Gregory, who was superintending the working of the 
Maxim nearest the stern, looked round at the sound of the 
explosion. Several of the occupants had evidently been 
killed, but two or three of the boatmen started to swim to 
shore. Only two of the women came to the surface, strug- 
gling wildly and screaming for help. With scarcely a thought 
of what he was doing, Gregory unclasped his sword-belt, 
dropped his pistol, and sprang overboard. One of the women 


162 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

had sunk before he reached them, the other was on the point 
of doing so when he caught her by the arm. She at once 
clung to him, and he had hard work to disengage her arm 
from his neck; then, after turning her so that her face was 
above water, he looked round. The gun-boat was already a 
hundred yards away. Her wheel was revolving, so as to keep 
her in her place facing the redoubt, and the stream was driv- 
ing him fast away from her. Within ten yards of him was 
a black head, and a moment later Zaki was beside him. He 
had been working at Gregory’s Maxim, and had suddenly 
missed his master. Looking round he had seen him strug- 
gling with the woman in the stream, and without hesitation 
had leapt overboard. 

“ I am sorry you came,” Gregory said, “ for it is only 
throwing away your life. It is of no use shouting, for they 
could not hear us in that din, and if they happened to catch 
sight of us would take us for two of the black boatmen. I 
see the stream is taking us nearer to the bank.” 

Zaki had taken hold of the woman while he was speaking. 

We might swim a long way down, master, if we let go of 
her.” 

I won’t do that, Zaki. I know now that I was a fool to 
jump overboard, but now that I have done so I will save her 
life. Besides, I could not swim very far even without her; 
I am feeling the weight of my boots and clothes. Will you 
swim with us till I can touch the ground, and then leave us? 
Strike right into the river again — I know that you are a good 
swimmer — and drop down the stream until you reach one of 
the islands, and then you can land and hail the gun-boats 
as they come down. Tell Captain Keppel why I jumped 
over.” 

“I am not going to leave you, master. Ho doubt the 
Dervishes will shoot me, but my life is of no consequence, 
and I shall be glad to die by the side of so good a master.” 

The woman, who had ceased to struggle when Gregory 
shook off her grasp, was now conscious, as, with one of them 
supporting her on each side, her head was above water. 


A PKISONEK 163 

“ They will not kill you,” she said ; you have saved me, 
and they will be grateful.” 

Gregory had no' faith whatever in Dervish gratitude. 

“ Well, Zaki,” he said, “ if you will not leave us we will 
strike at once for the shore. The gun-boats are nearly half 
a mile away now. There is just a chance that we may not 
have been noticed by the Dervishes, and may be able to hide 
in the bushes till the gun-boats return. When they see me 
they will at once send a boat ashore under cover of their fire, 
and take us off.” 

There is a good chance of that, master,” Zaki said cheer- 
fully, “ and the Dervishes are busy up there fighting, and 
will not think much of a little boat.” 

Three or four minutes later they were in shallow water. 
As soon as they landed, Gregory threw himself down utterly 
exhausted, and the woman sank down beside him, but not 
before hastily rearranging her veil. In a couple of minutes 
Gregory roused himself. 

I can climb the bank now,” he said, “ and the sooner we 
are hidden among the bushes the better.” But as he spoke 
he heard the sound of galloping horsemen, and almost im- 
mediately an Emir on a magnificent animal, followed by a 
dozen Dervishes, dashed up. Mahmud ! ” the woman cried 
as she rose to her feet, it is I, Fatma! ” 

Mahmud gave a cry of joy, and waved his hand to his fol- 
lowers, who had already pointed their rifles at Gregory. 

These have saved me, my lord,” the woman went on. 

They jumped from their boat and reached me just as I was 
sinking, and have borne me up. For my sake you must spare 
their lives.” 

Mahmud frowned. He dismounted and went up to his wife. 

Have I not sworn, Fatma,” he said, “ that I would slay every 
unbeliever who falls into my hands ? How, then, can I spare 
even one who has saved your life ? ” 

“ Others have been spared who have been of service, my 
lord,” she said. “ There are Greeks and Egyptians who work 


164 : 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 


your guns, and they were spared because they were useful. 
There is Neufeld, who lives under the protection of the 
Khalifa. Surely these. men have done far more to deserve 
not only life but honour at your hands. They risked their 
lives to save mine. What follower of the Prophet could do 
more ? They could not have known who I was, a woman they 
saw drowning. Are there any among the bravest of the tribes 
who would have done the same ? ” 

“ I have sworn an oath,” Mahmud said gloomily. 

“ But you have not sworn to slay instantly. You can keep 
them at least until you can take them before the Khalifa, 
and say to him: ^Father, I have sworn to kill unbelievers, 
but these men have saved Fatma’s life; and I pray you to ab- 
solve me from the oath or order them to be taken from me, 
and then do you yourself pardon them and set them free for 
the service that they have rendered me.’ If he refuses, if 
these men are killed, I also swear that as my life is due to 
them, I myself will perish by my own hands if they die for 
saving it ! ” 

“ It needs not that, Fatma. You think that I am ungrate- 
ful, that I do not feel that these men have acted nobly thus 
to risk their lives to save a strange woman whose face they 
have never seen. It is my oath that lies heavily upon me; 
I have never been false to an oath.” 

“Nor need you be now,” Fatma said earnestly. “You 
swore to slay any unbeliever that fell into your hands. This 
man has not fallen into your hands. I have a previous claim 
to him. He is under my protection. I cover him with my 
robe ” — and she swept a portion of her garment round Greg- 
ory — “ and as long as he is under it he is, according to tribal 
laws, safe even from the vengeance of my husband! As to 
the other, he is not an unbeliever. Your oath concerns him 
not. Him you can honour and reward according to the value 
you place upon my life.” 

The Arab’s face cleared. “ Truly you have discovered a 
way out of it, Fatma, at any rate for the present.” He 


A PEISONEK 


165 


turned to Gregory for the first time. ^‘Do you speak our 
tongue ? ” he asked. 

Yes, Emir, as well as my own.” 

Then you understand what we have said. Had I not 
been bound by my oath I would have embraced you as a 
brother. We Arabs can appreciate a brave deed, even when 
it is done by an enemy. When one of the boatmen ran into 
the battery where I was directing the guns against your boat, 
and said that the boat in which my wife with other women 
were crossing had been sunk by a shell from our batteries on 
the other side, I felt that my blood was turned to water. He 
said he believed that all had been killed or drowned, but that 
he looked back as he swam and saw a white man jump over- 
board, and a short time after another followed him, and that 
when he reached the shore they were supporting a woman in 
the water. I rode hither, having but small hope indeed that 
it was my wife, but marvelling much that a white officer 
should thus risk his life to save a drowning woman. My oath 
pressed heavily upon me as I rode. Even had it been but a 
slave girl whom you rescued, I should no less have admired 
your courage. I myself am said to be brave, but it would 
never have entered my mind thus to risk my life for a 
stranger. When I found that it was my wife who was saved, 
I still more bitterly regretted the oath that stood between 
me and her preserver, and truly glad am I that she has her- 
self shown me how I can escape from its consequences. How 
I see you I wonder even more than before at what you have 
done, for indeed in years you are little more than a boy.” 

“What I did, Emir, I believe any white officer who was 
a good swimmer would have done. Ho Englishman would 
see a woman drowning without making an effort to save her, 
if he had it in his power. As to the fact that she was not of 
the same race or religion, he would never give it a thought. 
It would be quite enough for him that she was a woman.” 

“And you,” Mahmud said, turning to Zaki, “you are a 
Jaalin, are you not?’^ 


166 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN . 


«Iam” 

Jaalin or Baggara, you are my friend,” Mahmud said, 
placing his hand on Zaki’s shoulders. “ And so you, too, 
leapt overboard to save a woman ? ” 

“ Mo, Emir,” he replied, “ I jumped over because my master 
jumped over. I had not thought about the woman. I 
jumped over to aid him, and it was to give him my help that 
I took my share in supporting the woman. The Bimbashi 
is a good master, and I would die for him.” 

Mahmud smiled at this frank answer. “ Mevertheless, 
whatever may have been your motive, you were enabled to 
save the life of my wife, and henceforth you are my friend.” 
Then he turned to the horsemen who were still grouped on 
the bank above. “ You have heard what has been said? The 
white man is under the protection of my harem; the Jaalin 
is henceforth my friend.” 

Mahmud was a fine specimen of the tribesmen of the 
Soudan — tall, well-built, and with pure Arab features. He 
was the Khalifats favourite son, and was generous, with 
kindly impulses, but impatient of control. Of late he had 
given way to outbursts of passion, feeling acutely the posi- 
tion in which he was placed. He had advanced from Om- 
durman confident that he should be able to drive the infidels 
before him and carry his arms far into Egypt. His aspira- 
tions had been thwarted by the Khalifa. His requests for 
stores and camels that would have enabled him to advance 
had been refused, and he had been ordered to fall back. His 
troops had been rendered almost mutinous from the want of 
supplies. He had seen the invaders growing stronger and 
stronger, and accomplishing what had seemed an impossi- 
bility — the bringing up of stores sufficient for their suste- 
nance — by pushing the railroad forward towards Berber. 
Mow that their forces had been very greatly increased, and 
the issue of the struggle had become doubtful, he had received 
the order for which he had been craving f^r months, and had 
been directed to march down and attack the Egyptian army, 
drive them across the Mile, and destroy the railway. 


A PKISONEK 


167 


fiy means of spies lie had heard that ere long a large force 
of British soldiers would come up.to reinforce the Egyptians, 
so that what might have been easy work two months before, 
had now become a difficult and dangerous enterprise. The 
manner in which the Dervishes had been defeated in their 
attacks upon Wolseley’s desert column, and in the engage- 
ments that had since taken place, showed how formidable 
was the fighting power, not only of the British troops, but 
of the native army they had organized, and his confidence in 
the power of the tribesmen to sweep all before them had been 
shaken. 

The Dervishes scowled when they heard that they were not 
to have the satisfaction of massacring this Englishman whose 
countrymen were still keeping up a terrible fire on their re- 
doubt. It was not one of their wives who had been rescued, 
and Gregory's act of jumping overboard seemed to them to 
savour of madness, and if that plea had been advanced they 
would have recognized it as rendering the person of the man 
who had performed it inviolable. However, as he was under 
the protection of their leader’s harem there was nothing more 
to be said, and at an order from Mahmud all but four of 
them rode off, while the others fell in behind him. Mahmud 
did not mount again, but walked with his wife to a deserted 
mud-hut two hundred yards away. There he left her, telling 
Gregory and Zaki to sit down outside, and placing the four 
men on guard. * 

I must rejoin my men,” he said as he mounted. When 
your vessels have gone I will return.” 

Half an hour later the fire ceased. Soon afterwards 
Mahmud rode up with a score of men, followed by some dozen 
women, and a slave leading a donkey. On this Eatma took 
her seat, and the women surrounded her. Gregory and Zaki 
walked close behind them ; Mahmud, with his horsemen, rode 
in front. After proceeding for a mile they came upon a 
group of tents. Mahmud’s banner was flying on a pole in 
front of the largest of these. Behind, and touching it, was 


168 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


another almost as large. This was the abode of the ladies 
of Mahmud’s harem; the other tents were occupied by his 
principal Emirs. A hundred yards away was the encamp- 
ment of the army, which was sheltered in hastily constructed 
huts, or arbours made of bushes. By Mahmud’s order a small 
tent was erected with blankets close to the after-entrance into 
the harem tent, for Gregory’s use, so that, should he be at- 
tacked by fanatics, he could at once take refuge in the harem, 
whose sanctity not even the most daring would dare to 
violate. 

A handsome robe was brought for Zaki, and as Mahmud 
presented it to him he said, “You are my friend, but you 
must now go back to your vessels or to Berber. My orders 
were to kill all the Jaalin, and we have spared none who fell 
into our hands at Metemmeh or since. I cannot keep you 
here. As long as you stay by my side you will be safe, but 
you could not leave me for a moment. It is as much as I 
can do to save the life of this infidel officer, and it is to him 
that I owe most, for it was he who first leapt into the river. 
The white men’s boats have already fastened up behind the 
island where they before stationed themselves. Make your 
way down there at daybreak and wave a white cloth. Doubt- 
less they will send a boat ashore, thinking that you bear a 
message from me ; or if you see they do not do this, you can 
swim out to them.” 

“ I would rather stay with my master. Cannot you let him 
go too ? ” 

“ That is impossible,” Mahmud said shortly. “ It is known 
throughout the camp that I have a white man here. The 
news will travel fast to the Khalifa. My actions have already 
been misrepresented to him, and were I to let this officer go, 
my father might recall me to Omdurman and send' another 
to command here. He must stay, but you may go without 
harm. You can scarcely have been noticed yet, and I can 
well declare, should the Khalifa hear of you, that you have 
escaped.” 


A PRISONEE 


169 


'‘May I speak with my master?’^ Zaki said. "If he says 
stay, I shall stay, though it might cost me my life ; if he says 
go, I must go.” 

" You may speak to him,” Mahmud said. 

Zaki went round to Gregory’s tent and told him what 
Mahmud had said. 

" Go; certainly, Zaki. You can do me no good by remain- 
ing here, and might even do me harm, for if you were killed 
I also might be murdered. Moreover, I wish to send the news 
of my capture and how it occurred. I do not think any save 
yourself noticed that I was missing, and when the fight was 
over, and they found that I was absent, they might suppose 
that I had been shot and had fallen overboard. I will write 
a note for you to carry. It is in all respects better that you 
should go. Were we to be seen talking together it might be 
supposed that we were planning some way of escape, and I 
should be more closely watched. As it is, I see that Mahmud 
will have difiiculty in protecting me. Were you to ride about 
with him, as he says, your presence would remind his fol- 
lowers that he has a white man a captive here; whereas if I 
remain almost in concealment near the harem, the fact that 
there is a white man here will pass out of the minds of those 
who know it, and will not become the common talk of the 
camp. Mahmud is running some risk in having spared my 
life, and I do not wish to make it harder for him. Go there- 
fore and tell him that you will leave to-night. I cannot write 
now ; my pocket-book is soaked through. But I will tear out 
some leaves and dry them in the sun, and write what I have 
to say before you start. I shall speak highly of you in my 
letter and recommend you to Colonel Wingate, who will, I 
have no doubt, give you employment. I hope I shall see you 
again before long. I am very sorry that we must part, but 
it is best for us both.” 

Very reluctantly Zaki returned to Mahmud. " My master 
says I must go, Emir, and I must obey his orders, though I 
would rather stay with him. To-night I will leave.” 


170 


WITH KITCHEHEH IN THE SOUDAN 


It is well. I would that I could let him go also, but my 
oath prevents me from giving him his freedom. I trust, how- 
ever, that when the Khalifa hears of his noble action, and 
how he has made me his debtor, he will say that Allah himself 
would not blame me for that. Gratitude is even more bind- 
ing than an oath; still, until I hear from him I can do 
nothing. We have not seen matters in the same light for 
some time. When I wanted to strike he was unwilling that 
I should do so. Kow, when it seems to me that the time for 
that has passed, and that I had best retire on Omdurman, he 
says go forward and fight. It is not for me to question his 
commands or his wisdom. But I may not give him cause 
for anger. My advice to you is, when you get to Berber do 
not stay there. We shall assuredly be there before long, and 
as none would know that you were under my protection, you 
would be slain. Go straight to Abu Hamed, and when you 
hear that we have defeated the infidels and have entered Ber- 
ber, leave by this road they have made, upon which, as they 
tell me, carriages run without horses, and stay not until 
you reach Cairo. There you can live quietly until you hear 
that the Khalifa’s army is approaching. After that fly. I 
cannot say whither, but seek a shelter until the black flag 
waves over the whole of the land. When there is no more 
fighting, then come to me and I will give you a post of 
honour.” 

I will do so, Emir. When the time comes I will remind 
you of your promise.” 

^‘I have neither silver nor gold with which I can reward 
you now, but we shall gather these things in Egypt, and I 
will make you wealthy.” 

Zaki thought that it would he unwise to wander from 
Mahmud’s encampment, and he accordingly sat down by his 
tent. Presently one of the slaves came out with a large dish 
of food that Mahmud had sent him. As evening approached 
he went round to Gregory’s little tent with the intention of 
trying to persuade him to attempt to escape with him, but 


A PRISONER 


171 


two of the tribesmen with rifles in their hands were stationed 
there. They offered no opposition to his entry, but their 
presence showed that Mahmud was determined that his mas- 
ter should appear to be a close prisoner, as indeed his escape 
might well jeopardize the Emir’s position even among his 
followers. 

Gregory had a letter ready for him to carry to Captain 
Keppel. It ran as follows: 

Dear Captain Keppel^ 

I am a prisoner in Mahmud* s hands. This 
is the result of my own impetuosity— I will not say folly, for 
1 cannot regret that I yielded to the sudden impulse that 
seized me. A boat containing some women was sunk by a 
shell when hut a few yards astern of the gun-boat. Most of its 
occupants were killed, hut I saw a woman struggling in the 
water, and without thinking of the consequences jumped 
overboard to save her, my servant following me. When we 
reached fi^r we found that the current was too strong to regain 
the gun-boat, and so landed about half a mile down, hoping 
to find shelter in the bushes until the boat came down the 
stream. What I did, however, had been observed by the Der- 
vishes, and as soon as I landed a party rode up, headed by 
Mahmud himself, who was aware that his favourite wife was 
in the boat that had sunk. Most fortunately it turned out 
that she was the woman I had saved. Upon her appeal 
Malunud spared our lives. He has released my man, who will 
carry this to you ; but having sworn that he would spare no 
white man, he retains me in his hands as a prisoner until he 
can lay the facts before the Khalifa and obtain his permission 
to let me go. I trust that all will be well, and that some day I 
may rejoin the army. However, there is no saying how mat- 
ters may turn out. I am happy in knowing that there is no 
one who, if the worst comes to the worst, will grieve over my 
loss. I recommend my faithful servant to you. I should 
wish the balance of pay coming to me to be handed to him, as 
well as my camel and horse, and all other belongings. By the 


172 


WITH KITCHEHEE IN' THE SOHDAN 


sale of these he would he able at the end of the war to buy a 
piece of land and settle down among his own people. ^Yill 
you kindly report my capture to Colonel Wingate or General 
Hunter % Thanking you for your kindness to me, 

I remain, 

Yours faithfully, 

GREGORY HILLIARD. 

— In my cabin is a tin box containing documents of im- 
portance to me. I shall be greatly obliged if you will take 
charge of these until— as I hope will he the case— I rejoin you. 

He handed the paper to Zaki, who took his hand and raised 
it to his forehead with tears in his eyes. “ I go because you 
order me, master,” he said in a broken voice, but I would 
a thousand times rather remain and share your fate, whatever 
it might be.” Then he turned and abruptly left the tent. 

Twice that day Gregory had received food from a female 
slave of the harem. Although he knew that he should iniss 
Zaki greatly, he was very glad that he had been sent away, 
for he felt that, although for the time he had been reprieved, 
his position was very precarious, and that his servant’s would 
have been still more so. A white prisoner was a personage of 
some consequence, but the death of a Jaalin was a matter 
that would disturb no one ; thousands of them had been mas- 
sacred, and one more or less could not matter at all. But 
however much the Dervishes might hate a white infidel, it 
would be a serious matter for even the most powerful Emir 
to harm a prisoner under the protection of the harem of the 
Khalifa’s son. 

Mahmud had been very popular among them, but his posi- 
tion had been gravely shaken by the events of the last six 
months. Having unlimited confidence in themselves, the 
Baggara had seen with increasing fury the unopposed ad- 
vance of the Egyptians. They could not understand why 
they should not have been allowed, after the capture of 
Metemmeh, to march across the desert to Merawi and anni- 


A PRISONER 1^3 

hilate the infidels assembled there. It was true that these 
had repulsed the force defending Dongola, but this was a 
comparatively small body, arid it was the gun-boats and not 
the Egyptian troops who had forced them to evacuate the 
town. The fall of Abu Hamed had added to their discon- 
tent, and they were eager to march with all speed to Berber 
to join the five thousand men comprising its garrison, and 
to drive the invaders back across the Nile. But they had 
been kept inactive by the orders of the Khalifa and by the 
want of stores. They had for months been suffering great 
privations, and while remaining in enforced inactivity they 
had known that their enemy’s strength was daily increasing, 
and that what could have been accomplished with the greatest 
of ease in August had now become a very serious busi- 
ness. Mahmud had chafed at the situation in which he 
found himself placed by his father’s refusal to support him 
or to allow him to take any action. This had soured his tem- 
per, and he had taken to drinking heavily — he had become 
more harsh with his men, more severe in the punishment 
inflicted for any trifling disobedience of orders. Although 
no thought that the rule of the Khalifa could be seriously 
threatened entered their minds, fanatical as they were, they 
could not but feel some uneasiness at the prospect. 

A great army was gathering at Berber ; Kassala was in the 
hands of the British, and the forces that had been beleaguer- 
ing it had been defeated with heavy loss; Abyssinia had 
leagued itself against them; the insurrection of the Jaalin 
had been crushed, but there were signs of unrest in Kordofan 
and other parts. Of course all this would be put right. An 
army of sixty thousand men was at Omdurman, and this with 
Mahmud’s command would suffice to sweep away all their 
enemies. Their enthusiasm would never have wavered had 
they been called upon for action ; but these months of weary 
waiting and of semi-starvation without the acquisition of 
any booty or plunder — for little indeed had been obtained at 
the capture of Metemmeh — sapped their energy, and the 


174 WITH KITCHENEE IN THE SOUDAN 

force that crossed the Nile for an advance upon Berber was 
far less formidable than it would have been had it been led 
forward against Merawi and Dongola directly after the cap- 
ture of Metemmeh, — still, it needed only the prospect of a 
battle to restore its spirits. 

A fortnight after Gregory’s capture the Dervish army was 
set in motion. A few thousand men had already been sent 
forward along the banks of the river to check any advance 
that might be made from Fort Atbara. Had it not been for 
this Gregory might have attempted to escape. It would not 
have been very difficult for him to creep out at the back of 
his little tent unperceived by his guards, but the dangers to 
be encountered in making his way to the British fort would 
have been immense. It would have been necessary for him 
to keep by the river, for from this source alone could water 
be obtained. 

The country had been stripped of its crops of all kinds by 
the Dervishes, the villages had been razed to the ground, and 
the last head of maize and other grain gleaned by the starv- 
ing people who had taken refuge in the bush and jungle. 

Therefore, although by keeping near the river he could 
quench his thirst at will, he would assuredly have to face 
starvation. Moreover, he would have no chance of searching 
for any ears of corn which might have escaped the eyes of 
the searchers, for he must travel only by night and lie up 
by day, to avoid capture by one or other of the bands that 
had gone on, in which case he would at once be killed, being 
beyond the influence of Mahmud and the protection of the 
harem. 

On the other hand, he had nothing to complain of except 
the monotony and uncertainty of his position. Fatma kept 
him well supplied with food, and from the gossip of the slaves 
who brought this to him he learnt how matters were pro- 
gressing. He was longing for the Dervish army to make a 
move, for he felt that when they neared the British position 
the greater would be the chance of escape, and none among 


A PRISONER 


175 


the followers of Mahmud rejoiced more than he did when 
he knew that the long-expected advance was about to take 
place. 

Once in motion, the spirits of the Dervishes revived. At 
last they were going to meet these insolent invaders, and none 
doubted that they would easily defeat them. The greater 
portion of the harem and attendants were left behind at 
Shendy, for but few camels were available. Fatma and 
another of Mahmud^s wives rode on one; a tent was carried 
by another. Half a dozen slaves followed, and Gregory 
walked with these. He could not help admiring the attitude 
of the tribesmen — tall, powerful men, inured to hardship, and 
walking or riding with an air of fierce independence which 
showed their pride in themselves and their confidence in their 
prowess. 

The party always started , early in the morning, so as to 
get the tents erected at the halting-place before the main 
body of the Dervishes came up. On the march they kept 
some distance from the river, and being but a small group 
the gun-boats did not waste their shot upon them; but each 
day there was a sharp exchange of fire between them and 
Mahmud’s force. 

Gregory supposed that Mahmud’s plan was to cross the 
Atbara, which was fordable at several points, and to attack 
the fort there, in which case he had no doubt the Arabs would 
be driven off with much loss. The Sirdar was of the same 
opinion, and in order to tempt them to do so he maintained 
only one Egyptian brigade in the fort, the remainder of the 
force being concentrated at Kennur, four miles away. From 
this point they would be able to advance and take the Der- 
vishes in flank while they were engaged in the attack of the 
fort. Mahmud, however, was kept well informed of the 
movements of the troops, and instead of continuing his 
course down the river-bank when he reached Gabati, he struck 
across the desert, and after two days’ march crossed the At- 
bara at Hakheila. From this point, owing to the bend in the 


176 


WITH KITCHENEK IN’ THE SOUDAN 


river, lie would be able to march direct to Berber, avoiding 
the Atbara fort and the force gathered round it. 

Altogether the desert march, although only lasting two 
days, was a trying one. The heat was overpowering, and 
even the ladies of the harem had the scantiest supply of water. 
They had at starting given Gregory a gourd of water for his 
own use. This he had taken sparingly, and it lasted him 
until they reached the Atbara. 

It was now dead low water, and the river offered no obstacle 
to crossing, as the bed was for the most part dry, with pools 
here and there. The Arab encampment was formed in a 
thick grove of trees, which afforded some shelter from the 
sun. 

Day after day passed. Mahmud was now informed as to 
the strength of the force he should have to encounter, and 
for the first time felt some doubt as to the issue of the fight. 
He determined, therefore, to stand on the defensive. This 
decision, however, he kept to himself. The Dervishes were 
burning to be led to the assault, and became almost mutinous 
on account of the delay. Mahmud was obliged to take the 
strongest measures, and several of those who were loudest in 
their dissatisfaction were summarily executed. The rest 
were pacified with the assurance that he was only waiting for 
a fortunate day. In the meantime the men were employed 
in fortifying the position. Deep holes were dug along the 
edge of the wood, and behind these were trenches and pit- 
falls. 

Mahmud^s own temper grew daily more sullen and fierce. 
His own fighting instinct was in favour of the attack his 
followers longed to deliver, but in his heart he was afraid 
that the result might be fatal. It was not the rifles of the 
infantry that he feared — of these he had no experience — ^but 
the artillery, which he had learned already could be used with 
terrible effect. 

As Mahmud was drinking heavily, and as the fact that the 
white soldiers were near at hand added to the fanatical hatred 


A PKISONEK 


177 


j of the emirs and tribesmen, Fatma sent a message by a slave 
to Gregory, warning him not to show himself outside the 
little shelter tent composed of a single blanket, in which he 
now lived. 

At length it became known that the English host was ap- 
proaching. As soon as the gun-boats brought down news 
that the Dervishes were no longer following the river-bank, 
but were disappearing into the desert, the Sirdar guessed 
their intentions. Nothing could have suited him better. A 
battle now must be a decisive one. There was no way of 
retreat open to the Dervishes except to cross the waterless 
desert, or to fly south keeping to the course of the Atbara, 
which would take them farther and farther from the Nile 
with every mile they marched. Bringing up all his force, 
therefore, from Kennur and the Atbara fort, which one bat- 
talion was left to guard, the Sirdar took up his post at Hudi. 

The position was well chosen. It lay half-way between 
Mahmud^s camp at Nakheila and the Atbara fort, and left 
Mahmud only the option of attacking him or of making a 
long detour through the desert to the east in order to reach 
Berber. The British, on the other hand, could receive their 
supplies by camels from the Atbara fort. The cavalry went 
out to reconnoitre, and had constant skirmishes with the 
enemy’s horse, but when day after day passed and Mahmud 
did not come, as the Sirdar had expected, to attack him, it 
was determined to take the offensive. General Hunter was 
ordered to move forward, with the whole of the cavalry and 
a Maxim-gun battery, to discover the exact position of the 
enemy. 

The camp had been well chosen, for, like Abu Hamed, it 
lay in a depression, and could not be seen until an enemy 
came within six hundred yards of it. Thus the superiority 
of range of the British rifles was neutralized, and their guns 
could not be brought into play until within reach of the 
Dervish muskets. The wood was surrounded by a high 
zareba, behind which a crowd of Dervishes were assembled. 


178 WITH KITCHENEB IN THE SOUDAN 

They had anticipated an attack, and held their fire until the 
cavalry should come nearer. This, however. General Hunter 
had no intention of doing, and he retired with the informa- 
tion he had gained. His account of the strength of the 
position showed the difficulty of taking it by assault. 

Hext day he again went out with the same force, but this 
time the Dervishes were prepared. Their mounted men 
dashed out from the wood and galloped round to cut off the 
cavalry, while the foot-men crowded out to attack them in 
front. The cavalry fell back in perfect order, and one squad- 
ron charged forty of the Dervish cavalry, who barred the line 
of retreat. These they drove off, but the main body still 
pressed forward, and the Maxims opened upon them. The 
hail of bullets was too much for the horsemen, and they drew 
off. Several times they gathered again for a charge, but on 
each occasion the Maxims dispersed them. The unmounted 
Dervishes were soon left behind, but the horsemen, in spite 
of the lesson they had received, followed almost to the camp. 

On the afternoon of the 7th of April the Anglo-Egyptian 
force marched out. They started at five in the afternoon, 
and halted at seven. The horses were first taken down to 
water, the infantry by half-battalions ; all then lay down to 
sleep. At one o’clock the word to advance was passed round 
quietly. The moon was full and high overhead, so there was 
no difficulty in avoiding obstacles. Each brigade marched in 
square, accompanied by the guns and the Maxims, and the 
camels with provisions and spare ammunition. 

At four o’clock they halted again. They had been well 
guided, and were now but a short distance from the enemy’s 
position. At sunrise the men were again on their feet, and 
advanced to within two hundred yards of the position from 
which they were to delivef their attack. The British brigade 
— the Camerons, Warwicks, Seaforths, and Lincolns — ^were 
on the left. Hext to them came Macdonald’s brigade — the 
three Soudanese regiments in front, the 2nd Egyptian in sup- 
port. Farther still to the right, and touching the river, was 


A PKISONER 


179 


MaxwelFs brigade, comprising also three Soudanese regi- 
ments and an Egyptian one. Two of the three Egyptian 
battalions of Lewis’s brigade were placed on the left rear of 
the British brigade, the third battalion was in square round 
the camels. Two field-batteries were in front of the infantry 
and two to the right of Maxwell’s brigade. 

Half a mile from the zareba the infantry halted, and the 
artillery and Maxims opened fire. For an hour a tremendous 
fire was poured into the enemy’s position, but not a shot was 
fired in reply, although the Dervishes could be seen moving 
among the trees, apparently unconcerned at the storm of 
shell and bullets. 

Gregory’s position had been growing more critical every 
day. Food was extremely short; the scanty supplies that the 
force had brought with them had been long since exhausted, 
and they were now subsisting upon palm nuts. Of these, 
two were served out daily to each man, a quantity barely 
sufficient to keep life together. In spite of the vigilant 
watch kept by the more fanatical of Mahmud’s followers, 
desertions had become frequent, notwithstanding the certain 
death that awaited those who were overtaken. The evening 
after the cavalry made their first reconnaissance the slave 
who brought Gregory’s food told him that Fatma wished to 
speak to him. It was but three paces to the entrance of the 
tent, and his guards made no objection. The entrance was 
closed as the slave entered, but half a minute later it was 
opened an inch or two, and, without showing herself, Fatma 
said : 

Listen to me.” 

I am listening,” Gregory replied. 

I am in great fear for you ; you are in much danger. The 
Emirs say to Mahmud that you ought to be killed ; their f oh 
lowers are well-nigh starving, — why should an infidel prisoner 
be eating? His friends are now close to us, and there will 
be a battle; none will be spared on either side,— why shauld 
this man be spared ? Mahmud has many cares ; the men are 


180 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

furious because be will not lead them out to fight. Even the 
emirs are sullen; and Osman Digna, who was on bad terms 
with him a short time ago, and who, Mahmud suspects, is 
intriguing with them against him, is foremost in urging that 
an attack should take place, though everyone knows he is 
a coward and never shows himself in battle, always running 
away directly he sees that things are going against him. 
Still, he has five thousand followers of his own. Mahmud 
told me to-day that he had done all in his power, but, placed 
as he was, he could not withstand the words of the emirs and 
the complaints of the tribesmen. When the battle comes — 
as it must come in a day or two — it will need all his influence 
and the faith of the men with him to win ; and with so much 
at stake, how can he risk everything for the sake of a single 
life, and that the life of an infidel? If you would agree to 
aid in working his guns, as the Greeks and Egyptians do, it 
would content the emirs.” 

“ That I cannot do,” Gregory said. “ If I am to be killed 
it is the will of God, but better that a thousand times than 
turn traitor ! ” 

“I knew that it would be so,” Fatma said sorrowfully. 
“ What can we do ? At other times the protection of the 
harem would cover even one who had slain a chief, but now 
that the Baggara are half-starving, and mad with anger and 
disappointment, even that no longer avails. If they would 
brave the anger of the son of the Khalifa, they would not 
regard the sanctity of the harem. I wish now that I had 
advised you to try and escape when we left Shendy, or even 
when we first came here. It would have been difficult, but 
not impossible; but now I can see no chance. There is the 
thorn hedge round the wood, with few openings, and with 
men on watch all round to prevent desertion. Several tried 
to escape last night — all were caught and killed this morning. 
Even if it were possible to pass through, there are bands of 
horsemen everywhere out on the plain, keeping watch alike 
against the approach of the enemy and the desertion of 
cowards. 


A PKISONER 


181 


I have been in despair all day that I cannot save the life 
of one who saved mine. I have told Mahmud that my honour 
is concerned, and that I would give my life for yours. 
Months ago he would have braved the anger of all his army 
for me, but he has changed much of late. It is not that he 
loves me less, but that he has been worried beyond bearing, 
and in his troubles he drinks until he forgets them. My only 
hope is that your people will attack to-morrow. Mahmud 
says that they will assuredly be beaten; they will be shot 
down as they approach, and none will ever be able to get 
through the hedge. Then, when they fall back, the Baggara 
will pour out horse and foot and destroy them. They will 
then see how right he has been in not letting them go out into 
the plain to fight. His influence will be restored, and your 
life will be safe. We are to be removed to the farther side of 
the wood when the fighting begins, and there all the women 
are to be gathered and wait till the infidels are utterly de- 
stroyed. If your people come to-morrow morning, you may 
be saved ; otherwise I fear the worst.” 

I thank you for what you have done for me,” replied 
Gregory, “ and whatever comes of it, be sure that I shall feel 
grateful to you, and shall not blame you for not having been 
able to do what was impossible. I hope my friends may come 
to-morrow, for, whatever my fate may be, anything is better 
than uncertainty.” 

“ May Allah protect you ! ” the woman said with a sob ; 
and go now, I hear Mahmud calling me.” 


182 


WITH KITCHEHEE IN THE SOUDAN 


CHAPTEK XII 

THE BATTLE OF ATBARA 

G EEGOEY had little sleep that night. It was clear to 
him that there was absolutely no chance of making his 
escape. Even were his two guards withdrawn it would not 
improve his position. He had no means of disguise, and even 
if he had an Arab dress and could stain his face, he could 
not hope to make his way through the crowds of sleeping 
men, the pitfalls and trenches, and pass out through the jeal- 
ously guarded zareba. There was nothing for him but to 
wait till the end. He could not blame Mahmud. A leader on 
the eve of a great battle could not, for the sake of a single 
captive, risk his influence and oppose the wishes of his fol- 
lowers. It was much that he had for his wife’s sake postponed 
the fulfllment of his oath, and had so long withstood the 
wishes of his most influential emirs; more could not be ex- 
pected. At any rate he was better ofl than others who had 
been in the same position. He had not, so far as he knew, 
a relation in the world, — no one who would be anywise 
affected by his death, and at least he would have the satisfac- 
tion of knowing that it was a kind action which had brought 
him to his end. He prayed earnestly, not that his life might 
be spared, but that his death might be a painless one, and that 
he might meet it as an English officer should, without show- 
ing signs of fear. 

The next day he heard orders given and a great stir in 
camp, and he gathered from those who passed near the tent 
that the enemy’s cavalry were again approaching, and that 
the mounted men were to ride out and cut them off from re- 
treating, while the dismounted men were to pour out and , 
annihilate them. Then for a time all was silence in the camp. j 
Suddenly an outburst of shouts and cries broke out, and ] 
almost simultaneously he heard the rattle of Maxim guns, — ■ 




THE BATTLE OF ATBARA 


183 


the fight had begun. Would the Egyptian horsemen stand 
firm, or would they give way to panic? If they broke and 
fled, none whatever would return to their camp through the 
host of Baggara horsemen. For a time the roll of the fire 
from the machine-guns was incessant, then there was a pause. 
Two or three minutes later it broke out again, but it was 
evidently somewhat farther off ; and so it went on, with inter- 
vals of silence, but ever getting farther away. It was clear 
that the horsemen had not been able to bring the cavalry 
to a standstill, and that these were steadily falling back, 
covered by the fire of the Maxims. At last the sound grew 
faint in the distance, and soon afterwards the noise in the 
camp showed that the infantry were returning. It was not 
till two hours later that he heard the mounted men ride in, 
and gathered from the talk outside that they had lost nearly 
two hundred men, and had been unable to prevent the Egyp- 
tian cavalry from returning to camp. Towards evening he 
heard angry talking, and could distinguish Mahmud’s voice. 
Then the blanket was pulled off its supports, and two men 
ordered him to follow them. 

This was doubtless the end, and he nerved himself for 
what was to come, and with head erect and a steady face he 
accompanied the men to the front of Mahmud’s tent. The 
chief was standing with frowning face, and several Emirs 
were gathered in front of him, while a number of tribesmen 
stood a short distance away. 

“ Mow,” Mahmud said, “ let one of you speak.” 

One of the Emirs stepped forward. “I, Osman Digna, 
demand that this infidel be put to death. His countrymen 
have slain many of my men and yours.” 

Feeling now that Mahmud, after doing his best, had 
ceased to struggle for him, and that his death was certain, 
Gregory took a step forward towards the speaker and said 
scornfully, So you are Osman Digna ! I am one of the 
first of my countrymen to see your face, though many have 
seen your back at a distance.” 


184 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


Instead of provoking a pistol-shot, as he had intended, his 
remark was followed by a roar of laughter from the emirs, for 
Osman’s cowardice was a byword among them, and his nick- 
name was “ One who always runs.” Osman indeed had put 
his hand on the stock of one of the pistols in his belt, but 
Mahmud said imperiously, The man’s life is mine, not 
yours, Osman Digna. If you shoot him, I shoot you I ” 
The fearlessness of the lad had pleased the other emirs, for, 
recklessly brave themselves, the Baggara appreciated and 
esteemed courage and honour. One of the others said ; “ This 
is a brave young fellow, and infidels as his people are, we 
admit that they are brave. Were it for ourselves only, we 
would say let him live until we see what comes of it. But 
our people complain. They say his folk, with whom we had 
no quarrel, come here and aid the Egyptians against us. 
They slew many yesterday. It is not right that this man 
should be living among us when his countrymen are fighting 
against us.” 

There was a murmur of assent among the others, then 
Mahmud spoke. I have promised that he should not be 
killed unless by order of the Khalifa. But this I will do: 
he shall be placed in the front rank. If Allah wills it, he 
will be killed by the bullets of his countrymen. If when the 
fight is over he is unharmed, you shall all agree that the 
matter be left for the Khalifa to decide. But, mind, I wash 
my hands of his death. On the eve of a battle it is not for 
me to set my wishes above those of my emirs and my tribes- 
men, and I yield to your demands because it is necessary that 
all be of one mind. If he is killed, which surely he will be 
unless Allah protects him, his blood be upon your heads ! ” 

He waved his hand, and the men came forward and again 
took Gregory to his tent. The latter was well contented 
with the decision that he should be killed. He had no doubt 
that at least his death would be swift and sudden; he would 
not be speared or cut to pieces with knives. He would see 
his countrymen advancing ; he would know that he would be 


THE BATTLE OE ATBAKA 


185 


speedily avenged. Two days passed, when the news came that 
the Egyptians had advanced to Umdabieh, seven miles 
nearer, and on the following morning the Dervish camp was 
disturbed early. There was joy in every face, and renewed 
vigour in the bearing of the men. Scouting Dervishes had 
brought in word that the infidels had marched during the 
night, and were now halting but a mile and a half away. The 
hour had come at last. They were confident in themselves, 
and their trust in their leader was renewed. The fight two 
days before had shown them that the guns of the white men 
were terrible on the plain, and that it was, after all, wise to 
await them in the position which had been made impregnable, 
and against which the foe would hurl themselves in vain; 
then they were to pour out and annihilate them. 

The slave came to Gregory’s tent at daybreak, Fatma is 
praying to Allah for your safety,” he said. There was no 
time for more, for already the tents were being pulled down, 
and soon the women were hurried away to the rear. Four 
men surrounded Gregory and led him to the edge of the camp, 
and there fastened him to the stump of a tree that had been 
cut off six feet from the ground, the upper portion being 
used in the construction of the zareba. Ten or twelve men 
were similarly fastened in a line with him. These had been 
detected in trying to sneak away. Gregory had not seen any- 
thing of the camp before, and as he was taken along he was 
astounded at the amount of work that had been done. Every- 
where the ground was pitted with deep holes capable of shel- 
tering from fifteen to twenty men. The hedge was a high 
one, and was formed for the most part of prickly bushes. 
The position was indeed a formidable one, manned as it was 
by nearly twenty thousand desperate fighters. 

At six o’clock the first gun was fired, and for an hour and 
a half the camp was swept with shell, shrapnel, and Maxim 
bullets. Most of the Baggara were lying in the pits. Many, 
however, walked about calmly, as if in contempt of the fire. 
More than half of the wretched men bound to the trees were 


186 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

killed. At last the fire of the guns slackened, and on the 
crest of the position, in a semicircle round the wood, a long 
line of steadily marching men appeared. The assault was 
about to‘ begin. The Dervishes sprang from their hiding- 
places and lined the trenches behind the zareba. The troops 
halted and waited. The Maxims moved in front of the 
British brigade, and then opened fire. A bugle sounded, and 
the whole line, black and white, advanced like a wall. When 
within three hundred yards the men knelt down and opened 
fire in volleys of sections. At the same instant the Dervishes, 
with difficulty restrained until now, opened fire in return.. 

The Maxims and the storm of British bullets swept the 
wood, filling the air with a shower of falling leaves. Gregory 
murmured a prayer, shut his eyes, and awaited death. Sud- 
denly he felt his ropes slacken and fall from him, and a voice 
said, “ Drop on your face, master! ” Almost mechanically he 
obeyed, too astonished even to think what was happening; 
then a body fell across him. “ Lie still and don’t move, 
master ; they must think you are dead.” 

Is it you, Zaki ? ” Gregory said, scarcely able, even now, 
to believe that it was his faithful follower. 

“ It is I, master. I have been in the camp three days, and 
have never had a chance of getting near you before.” 

Brave fellow ! good friend 1 ” Gregory said, and then was 
silent. 

Speech was almost inaudible amid the roar of battle. The 
pipes of the Camerons could, however, be heard above the 
din. The men advanced steadily in line, maintaining their 
excellent volley-firing. The three other regiments, in close 
order, followed, bearing away farther to the right so as to 
be able to open fire and advance. On that side the black 
regiments were advancing no less steadily, and the half- 
brigade of Egyptians were as eager as any. Steadily and 
well under control all pushed forward at a run, firing occa- 
sionally, but thirsting to get hand to hand with those who 
had desolated their land, destroyed their villages, and slain 
their friends. 



SUDDENLY HE FELT HIS ROPES SLACKEN AND FALL FROM 


y 



» 


4 ^ 


' •* 


1 












0 



THE BATTLE OF ATBABA 


187 


The British were suffering, but the blacks suffered more, 
for the volleys of the Camerons kept down the fire of those 
opposed to them better than the irregular fire of the Sou- 
danese. The latter, however, first reached the zareba, and, 
regardless of thorns or of fire, dashed through it with trium- 
phant shouts and fell upon the defenders. It was but a 
minute or two later that the Camerons reached the hedge. 
Formidable as it looked, it took them but a short time to 
tear down gaps, through which they rushed, while close be- 
hind them the Seaforths, the Lincolns, and the Warwicks 
were all in, bursting through the low stockade and trenches 
behind it, and cheering madly. N^ow from their holes and 
shelters the Dervishes started up. Brave though they were, 
the storm that had burst upon them with such suddenness 
scared them, and none attempted to arrest the course of the 
Highlanders and red coats. Firing as they ran, the Dervishes 
made for the river. Many remained in their pits till the last, 
firing at the soldiers as they rushed past, and meeting their 
death at the point of the bayonet. 

Hotly the troops pursued, often falling into the pits, which 
were half hidden by thorns and long grass. There was no 
attempt at regularity iirthese holes — ^nothing to show where 
they were. It was a wil^^^d confused combat. The officers 
kept their men as well together as it was possible on such 
ground, but it was sharp work, for from flank and rear, as 
well as in front, the shots rang out from their hidden foes, 
and these had to be despatched as they pushed forward. As 
the troops burst through, Gregory sprang to his feet, seized 
a rifle that had dropped from the hands of a Dervish who 
had fallen close by, and shouting to Zaki ‘‘Lie still as if 
dead ! ” joined the first line of troops. I7o questions were 
asked. Every man’s attention was fixed on the work before 
him, and no thought was given to this white officer, who 
sprang from they knew not where. He had no cartridges, 
and the Dervishes did not carry bayonets, but, holding the 
rifle club-wise, he kept in the front line, falling into pits 


188 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 


and climbing out again, engaged more than once with des- 
perate foemen. 

Striking and shouting he fought on until the troops 
reached the river bank, and having cleared all before them, 
poured volleys into the mass of fugitives crossing its dry bed. 
Other hordes were seen away to the left, similarly driven out 
by Lewis’s Egyptians, by whom a terrible fire was kept up 
until the last of the fugitives disappeared in the scrub on the 
opposite bank, leaving the river bed thickly dotted with dead 
bodies; while on the right Macdonald’s and Maxwell’s blacks 
similarly cleared the wood. Then the Soudanese and whites 
alike burst into cheers; men shook each other by the hand, 
while they waved their helmets over tb^u’ heads. The 
Soudanese leapt and danced like delighted children. Pre- 
sently an officer left a group of others whc had been congrat- 
ulating each other on their glorious victory and came up to 
Gregory. 

May I ask who you are, sir ? ” he said courteously but 
coldly. 

Certainly, sir; my name is Hilliard. I have been a cap- 
tive in the hands of the Dervishes, who, when yoU attacked, 
tied me to the stump of a tree as a target for your bullets; 
and I should certainly have been killed had not a faithful 
servant of mine, a black, taken the opportunity, when the 
Dervishes rushed into the trenches and opened fire upon you, 
to cut my ropes. I have no doubt, sir,” he went on, as he 
saw the officer look somewhat doubtful, that General Hun- 
ter is here. I am known personally to him, and served for 
a time on his staff.” 

“ That is quite sufficient,” the officer said more cordially. 

I congratulate you on your escape. I confess it astonished 
us all when a strange white officer whom none of us knew 
suddenly joined us. You will find General Hunter some- 
where over on the left; he is certain to have led the charge 
of the Soudanese.” 

“Thank you! I will go and find him; but' first, I must 


THE BATTLE OF ATBAEA 


189 


return to where I left my man. He had, of course, the 
Mahdist’s patch on his clothes, and I told him to lie still 
as if dead till I came for him, as in the mglee it would have 
been impossible for me to have protected him.” 

Gregory found Zaki still lying where he left him, head 
downward and arms thrown forward, in so good an imitation 
of death that he feared for a moment the lad had been shot 
after he left him. At the sound of his master’s voice, how- 
ever, the native sprang to his feet. 

“You have saved my life, Zaki,” Gregory said, taking his 
hand. “ I must have fallen — every man tied to a tree is, as 
you see, dead ; but before we say anything else cut that patch 
off your clothes or you might be shot as a Dervish by the 
first man you come across. Keep close to me ; I am going to 
General Hunter. At present I know none of the officers 
of the white regiments; when I get among the Soudanese 
I shall be more at home.” 

In ten minutes he came to where General Hunter was 
speaking to the Sirdar. Gregory stopped at a short distance 
before the general’s eyes fell upon him, and he gave an ex- 
clamation of pleasure. 

“ That is Hilliard, General, the young fellow who jumped 
from one of the gun-boats off Metemmeh to rescue the 
woman. The act was unnoticed at the time, but a black he 
had with him was released and brought word that his master 
was a prisoner in their camp.” 

“ I heard of it at the time,” the Sirdar said, and motioned 
to Gregory to come up. “I am glad to find that you have 
escaped the fate we feared had befallen you, but your action 
was altogether wrong. An officer’s life is no longer his own, 
but belongs to the country he serves, and you had no right 
whatever to risk it when on duty, even in an action which 
at any other time would do you great credit.” 

He spoke sharply and sternly; Gregory again saluted. 

“ I knew afterwards that I had done wrong, sir, but I did 
not stop to think, and acted on the impulse of the moment.” 


190 


WITH KITCHEHER IN THE SOHDAH 


That may be,” the Sirdar said ; but officers should think, 
and not act on the impulse of the moment.” Gregory again 
saluted and fell back. Three or four minutes later the two 
generals separated. General Hunter came up to him and 
shook him warmly by the hand. 

You must not mind what the Sirdar said, Hilliard. It 
was a very noble action and did you credit, and I can assure 
you that that was the opinion of all who knew you; but to 
the Sirdar, you know, duty is everything, and I think you 
are lucky in not being sent down at once to the base. How- 
ever, he said to me, after you had left him, ‘ I shall be too 
busy this evening, but bring the young fellow with you to- 
morrow evening, I must hear how it was that Mahmud spared 
him.’ I told him that I understood from your black that the 
woman was Mahmud’s favourite wife, and that she took you 
under her care. 

“ By the way, have you heard that Mahmud is captured ? 
Yes, he is caught, which is a great satisfaction to us, for 
his being sent down a prisoner will convince the tribesmen 
that we have gained a victory, as to which they would other- 
wise be incredulous. I hear that the Egyptian brigade, 
which was to the extreme left, has captured Mahmud’s wife 
and a great number of women.” 

“ With your permission, sir, I will go over there at once 
and ask Colonel Lewis that she may receive specially good 
treatment. She has been extremely kind to me, and it is to 
her influence over Mahmud that I owe my life. Up to this 
morning Mahmud would have spared me, but Osman Digna 
insisted that I should be killed, and he was obliged to give 
way. They fastened me to a tree behind the trench just 
inside the zareba, and I should certainly have been killed by 
our own musketry fire, had not my boy, who had come into 
the camp in disguise, cut my cords. I fell as if shot, and he 
threw himself down on me until the Camerons burst in, when 
I at once joined them and did what little I could in the fight.” 

“ I will give you a line to Colonel Lewis, to tell him that 


THE BATTLE OF ATBARA 


191 


Mahmud^s wife, whom you will point out, is to be treated 
with respect, and that her people may be allowed to make her 
an arbour of some sort until the Sirdar decides what is to 
be done with her. Probably she will be sent down to Berber. 
No doubt we shall all fall back.” 

Then you will not pursue, sir ? ” 

No. The cavalry ha!ve already gone off in pursuit of their 
horsemen, but they are not likely to catch them, for we hear 
that Osman Digna is with them, and he seems to enjoy a 
special immunity from capture. As for the other poor beg- 
gars, we could not do it if we wanted to. I expect the cam- 
paign is over for the present ; certainly nothing can be done 
till the railway is completed, then the gun-boats can tow the 
native craft abreast of us as we march along the river bank. 
Shendy has been captured, and we found twelve thousand 
Jaalin prisoners there, women and children, and a large 
quantity of stores. That is what makes the position of the 
Dervish fugitives so hopeless. There is nothing before them 
but to find their way across the desert to Omdurman, and I 
fancy that few of them will get there alive. 

No doubt some will keep along by the Atbara, and others 
by the Nile. The latter will have the best chance, for the 
friendlies at Kassala will be on the look-out for fugitives. I 
am sorry for the poor wretches, though they richly deserve 
the worst that can befall them. They have never shown 
mercy. For twenty years they have murdered, plundered, 
and desolated the whole land, and have shown themselves 
more ferocious and merciless than wild beasts. 

He took out his pocket-book, wrote the order to Colonel 
Lewis, and then, tearing the leaf out, handed it to Gregory, 
who at once made his way, followed closely by Zaki, to the 
spot where two Egyptian battalions had halted. They had 
no difficulty in finding Colonel Lewis, who was receiving a 
report from the officers of the two battalions of the casualties 
they had sustained. Gregory had met the Coloriel several 
times at Berber, and the latter recognized him at once. 


192 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


Ah! Major Hilliard,” that officer said as he came up, “I 
am glad to see you. I heard that you had been captured by 
the Dervishes and killed, but I suppose, as I see you here, 
that it was only the usual canard.” 

“No, sir. I was captured, but, as you see, no-t killed, 
though it has been a pretty close thing. This is a note, sir, 
that General Hunter requested me to give you.” 

Colonel Lewis read the order. “ The women are down over 
there, a couple of hundred yards away,” he said. “ I will send 
a sergeant and four men with you. If you will point out 
Mahmud’s wife, I will see that she is made as comfortable as 
possible.” 

“ Thank you, sir I It is to her I owe my life, and I am most 
anxious to do all I can to repay the debt.” 

“You came along through the other brigades; do you 
know what their losses have been? ” 

“ The British losses are not heavy, sir, considering the 
fire they have been exposed tOi Macdonald’s brigade suf- 
fered most, I believe.” 

“ Yes ; I saw one of the officers just now. It seems they 
came down upon Mahmud’s picked body-guard, and these 
fought desperately. They found Mahmud in the usual atti- 
tude in which the Dervish emirs await death when they are ^ 
conquered. He was sitting quietly on his mat, with his arms 
laid down beside him, and was, I should imagine, somewhat 
surprised at finding that he was not cut to pieces at once.” 

“ I am glad he was not, sir, for he certainly behaved well 
to me. It was through the influence of his wife, I admit, 
but in sparing me he really risked serious disaffection among 
his followers, and at last gave way only to coercion.” 

The sergeant and men had now come up, and Gregory 
went off with them. Three or four hundred women were 
seated on the ground together, with half a dozen Egyptian 
soldiers standing as sentry over them. More or less closely 
veiled as they were, Gregory could not distinguish Fatma 
among them ; and indeed, except when he first reached her in 


THE BATTLE OF ATBARA 


193 


the water, he had not got a glimpse of her features. The 
question, however, was speedily settled when a woman rose in 
the middle of the group with a cry of gladness. “ So you 
are saved ! ” she exclaimed, “ I have feared so that you were 
killed. Have you news of Mahmud ? ” 

“ Yes, lady. He is a prisoner, but well and unharmed. I 
have obtained an order from the General that you are to be 
treated with honours as his wife. We cannot do much for 
you at present, but all that is possible will be done. I have 
represented your kindness to me, and these soldiers will at 
once erect an arbour for you, and food will be brought for 
you all as soon as matters have settled down a little.” 

The Egyptian soldiers had already begun to cut down 
saplings. Accustomed as they were to the work, in half an 
hour they had erected an arbour. Eatma was then assisted 
into it with the other women of the harem. The sergeant 
gave orders to the sentries that no one was to be allowed to 
interfere in any way with them, and then Gregory took his 
leave, saying that he would return later on. He again joined 
General Hunter, who seemed to be his natural chief now that 
his service in the gun-boat was over. 

The list of casualties was now being brought in. The 
Camerons, who had led the attack in line, had lost most heav- 
ily; they had fifteen killed and forty-six wounded, among 
them being two ofiicers killed and one mortally wounded. 
The Seaforths had one officer killed and one mortally 
wounded, and four others less severely; in all, six killed and 
twenty-seven wounded. The Lincolns had one killed and 
eighteen wounded; the Warwicks two killed and eighteen 
wounded. Many of the wounded afterwards died. The 
Egyptians had lost more heavily. The casualties among 
them were: fifty-seven killed, and four British and sixteen 
native ofiicers and three hundred and sixty-seven non-com- 
missioned officers and men wounded. The Dervish loss was 
terrible. Three thousand men were killed, among whom 
were nearly all the emirs, and two thousand were taken 


194 : 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


prisoners. The rest were hopeless fugitives, and a vast num- 
ber of these must have been wounded. 

There was but a short rest for the troops. When the 
wounded had been collected and carried to a neighbouring 
palm grove, where the surgeons did all that could then be 
done for them; and the trophies of the fight — banners and 
spears, guns of all sorts, swords and knives — had been 
gathered, principally by the exultant Soudanese and Egyp- 
tians, the force prepared for a start. 

“ May I ask. General, what is to be done with the women ? ” 
Gregory said. 

I have been speaking to the Sirdar about them, and I 
was just going to ask you to go with me to them. They are, 
of course, not to be considered as prisoners. They cannot 
stay here, for they would die of hunger; therefore they had 
best follow the troops, at any rate as far as the Atbara camp. 
They will have food given them, and must then decide for 
themselves what they are to do. It is a difficult question 
altogether. The only thing that can at present be settled 
is that they mustn’t be allowed to die of hunger, and they 
must be protected against molestation. The troops will 
march at four o’clock. The Egyptian brigade have volun- 
teered to carry the wounded; they will start later. The 
women had better follow them. No doubt some of them will 
find their husbands among the prisoners, so that there will 
be no trouble about them.” 

“ What will be done with the men, sir ? ” 

The General smiled. To-morrow they will probably en- 
list in our service to a man, and will fight just as sturdily as 
the other Soudanese battalions against their brethren in 
Khartoum. All the prisoners we have hitherto taken who are 
fit for the work have done so, and, as has been shown to-day, 
are just as ready to fight on our side as they were against us. 
They are a fighting people, and it is curious how they become 
attached to their white officers, whom formerly they hated 
as infidels.” 


THE BATTLE OF ATBABA 


195 


l! 

j When the matter was explained to them, the women ac- 
[' cepted the situation with the resignation that is natural to 
I the Mahometan woman. Gregory was able to assure Fatma 
ii that in a short time she would undoubtedly be allowed to join 
Mahmud, and accompany him wherever he was sent. 

But will they not kill him ? ” she said. 

[ We never kill prisoners. Even the bitterest enemy that 
may fall into our hands is well treated. Mahmud will doubt- 
I less be sent down to Cairo, and it will then be settled where 
' he is to be taken to ; but you may be sure that wherever it 
: may be, he will be well treated and cared for.” 

“ In that case I shall be happy,” she said. When you 
saved me I saw that the ways of you Christians were better 
ij than our ways ; now I see it still more. To be always raiding, 
and plundering, and killing cannot be good. It used to seem 
■ to me natural and right, but I have come to think differ- 
: ently.” 

i At four o’clock the troops marched. At Gregory’s request 
! he was allowed to remain behind and accompany the Egyp- 
^ tians. He had bought for a few shillings from the soldiers 
! a dozen donkeys that had been found alive in some of the 
I pits. These he handed over to Fatma for her conveyance and 
i that of the wives of some of the emirs, who were of the party, 
f The Egyptians started at half -past eight, carrying their own 
^ wounded and those of the British. By the route by which 
' the army had marched the night before, the distance was but 
! nine miles; but there had been some rough placed to pass, 

! and to avoid these, where the wounded might have suffered 
from jolting, they made a circuit, thereby adding three miles 
I to the length of the march, and did npt reach Umdabieh camp 
until two o’clock in the morning. General Hunter, who 
I never spared himself, rode with them and acted as guide, 
s During the fight he. Colonel Macdonald, and Colonel Max- 
well had ridden at the head of their brigades, the white regi- 
mental officers being on foot with the men, as was their 
custom, and it was surprising that the three conspicuous fig- 
ures had all come through the storm of fire unscathed. 


196 WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 

The next morning was a quiet one, and in the afternoon 
all marched off to the old camp at Abadar. On Sunday they 
rested, and on Monday the British brigade marched to Hudi, 
and then across the desert to Hermali, where they were to 
spend the summer. The Sirdar rode with the Egyptian 
brigades to Fort Atbara, Macdonald’s brigade was to go on 
to garrison Berber, Maxwell’s to Assillem, and that of Lewis 
to remain at Atbara. 

The question of the prisoners was already half solved. 
Alm ost all of them willingly embraced the offer to enlist in 
the Egyptian army. Many of the women found their hus- 
bands among the prisoners; others agreed at once to marry 
men of the Soudanese battalion; the rest, pending such offers 
as they might receive in the future, decided to remain at 
Atbara. At Berber their lot would have been a hard one, 
for they would have been exposed to the hatred and spite of 
the Jaalin women there, whose husbands had been massacred 
at Metemmeh. Fatma, with two attendants only, accom- 
panied Macdonald’s brigade to Berber. 

On arriving outside the town the force encamped. Next 
day the Sirdar, with his staff and General Hunter, came up, 
and on the following morning made a triumphant entry into 
the town, followed by the Soudanese brigade. Berber was 
prepared to do honour to the occasion. Flags waved, col- 
oured cloths and women’s garments hung from the windows, 
and the whole population lined the streets and received the 
conquerors with cries of welcome and triumph. They had 
anticipated a very different result, and had fully expected 
that the army would have been well-nigh annihilated, and 
that again the triumphant Dervishes would become their 
masters. But the sight of Mahmud walking a prisoner, with 
two guards on each side of him, convinced them that the re- 
ports that had reached them were true, that the Dervishes 
had been signally defeated, and that there was no fear of 
their ever again becoming lords of Berber. 

The Sirdar, by whose side General Hunter rode, headed 


THE BATTLE OE ATBARA 


197 


the procession, followed by his staff; then, leading his bri- 
gade, came Macdonald — stem and hard of face, burnt almost 
black with years of campaigning in the desert — and his staff, 

I followed by the black battalions, erect and proud, maintain- 
ing their soldierly bearing amid the loud quavering cries of 
welcome from the women. 

Gregory had, on his arrival with the brigade the day be- 
fore, gone into the town and engaged a small house in its 
I outskirts as the abode of Fatma and her two attendants, 
purchased suitable provisions, and made what arrangements 
he could for her comfort. Late in the evening he had escorted 
her there, and left Zaki to sleep in an outhouse attached to it, 
to secure them from all intmsion. Then he went down to 
the river, and, finding the Zafir lying there, went on board. 
I He was received as one returned from the dead by Captain 
' Keppel, Lieutenant Beatty, and Lieutenant Hood — the com- 
manders of the other gun-boats — who had been dining on 
board. He had become a general favourite during the time 
' he had spent with them, and their congratulations on his safe 
return were warm and hearty. 

You may imagine our surprise when, after the fight was 
; over,” said Captain Keppel, “ it was discovered that you were 
: missing. Ho one could imagine what had become of you. 
i One of the blacks who had been working your Maxim said 
; they had not noticed your leaving them, and that when 
they found you were not there, they supposed you had come 
to confer with me. Then I sent for your man, but he too 
: was missing. We searched everywhere, but no signs of you, 
! dead or alive, and no marks of blood were to be found ; so it 
seemed that the matter must remain a mystery. Early the 
( next morning, however, we saw a white rag waving on the 
! bank, and then a black entered the water and swam out tow- 
; ards us. I sent the boat to meet him, and when he came on 
[ board I found that he was your man, and the mystery was 
I explained. I fancy I used some strong language, for I never 
before heard of a man being so hare-brained as to spring over- 


198 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 


board in the middle of a battle and pick up a woman without 
saying a word to anyone of what he was doing, and that with 
the boat still steaming ahead. Of course your man told us 
that it was Mahmud’s wife you had saved, and that she had 
taken you under her protection, but I did not expect that 
among those fanatics your life would be spared. Mow tell us 
all about your adventures, and how you got down here just 
in time to see our fellows enter in triumph. I suppose you 
managed to give them the slip somehow ? ” 

Gregory then told his story. When he had concluded. 
Captain Keppel said: ^‘Well, you have the luck of the old 
one! Eirst you have got hold of as faithful a fellow as is 
to be found in all Egypt or anywhere else, and in the second 
place you have been in the battle of Atbara, while we have 
been kicking our heels here and fuming at being out of it 
altogether, except for our bloodless capture of Shendy. So 
you say the Sirdar blew you up ? I am not surprised at that. 
You know the story of the man who fell overboard in the old 
flogging days, and the captain sentenced him to two dozen 
lashes for leaving the ship without orders.” 

don’t think he was really angry, for when I went to 
him the next evening he was a good deal milder. Of course 
he did say again that I had done wrong, but not in the same 
tone as before ; and he seemed a good deal interested in what 
I told him about Mahmud, and how my boy had risked his 
life to rescue me and had succeeded almost by a miracle. He 
said there is a lot of good in these black fellows if one could 
but get at it. They have never had a chance yet, but, given 
good administration and the suppression of all tribal feuds 
with a stem hand, they might be moulded into anything.” 

And are you coming back to us now, Mr. Hilliard ? ” 

“ I have no idea. I don’t suppose anything will be settled 
for a time. There is not likely to be much doing anyway, 
except on the railway, and even your gun-boats will have 
an easy time of it, as there is not an enemy left on this side 
of the sixth cataract. The 'Dervishes who escaped are pretty 


THE FINAL ADVANCE 


199 


sure to cross the Atbara. There are enough of them still, 
when they rally, to beat olf any attacks that might be made 
by our tribesmen from Kassala.” 


CHAPTER XIII 


THE FINAL ADVANCE 



FEW days after the return of head-quarters to Berber, 


Mahmud was sent down-country, and Fatma was per- 
mitted to accompany him. She expressed to Gregory in 
touching terms her gratitude for what he had done for her. 
j “We have been of mutual assistance,” said Gregory. “ I 
I have the same reason to be grateful to you as you have to 
thank me. I saved your life and you saved mine. You were 
; very kind to me when I was a captive — I have done as much 

; as I could for you since you have been with us; so we are 

' quits. I hope you will be happy with Mahmud. We do 

■ not treat our prisoners badly, and except that he will be 

j away from the Soudan, he will probably be more comfortable 

than he has ever been in his life.” 

Gregory was now employed in the transport department, 
and journeyed backwards and forwards with large convoys of 
camels to the head of the railway. The line was completed 
to Berber, but the officers charged with its construction were 
indefatigable, and as fast as the materials came up, it was 
pushed on towards the Atbara. Complete as had been the 
victory on that river, the Sirdar saw that the force which 
had been sufficient to defeat the twenty thousand men under 
Mahmud was not sufficiently strong, for the more oDerous 
task of coping with three times that number, fighting under 
the eye of the Khalifa, and certain to consist of his best and 
bravest troops. He therefore telegraphed home for another 
British brigade and additional artillery, with at least one 


200 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


regiment of cavalry — an arm in which the Egyptian Army 
was weak. 

Preparations were at once made for complying with the 
request. The 21st Lancers, 1st battalion of Grenadier 
Guards, 2nd battalion of the Eifle Brigade, 2nd battalion 
of the 5th Lancashire Fusiliers, a field-battery, a howitzer- 
battery, and two forty-pounders to batter the defences of 
Omdurman should the Khalifa take his stand, were sent. A 
strong detachment of the Army Service Corps and the Koyal 
Army Medical Corps was to accompany them, but they had 
yet some months to wait, for the advance would not be made 
until the Kile was full and the gun-boats could ascend the 
cataract. However, there was much to be done, and the 
troops did not pass the time in idleness. Atbara Fort was 
to be the base, and here the Egyptian battalions built huts 
and storehouses. The Soudanese brigades returned to Berber, 
and the transport of provisions and stores for them was thus 
saved. The British at Darmali were made as comfortable 
as possible, and no effort was spared to keep them in good 
health during the ensuing hot weather. A small theatre was 
constructed, and here smoking concerts were held. There 
was also a race meeting, and one of the steamers took parties 
of the men who were most affected by the heat for a trip down 
the Nile. They were practised in long marches early in the 
morning, and although, of course, there was some illness, the 
troops on the whole bore the heat well. Had there been a 
prospect of an indefinitely long stay the result might have 
been otherwise, but they knew that in a few months they 
would be engaged in even sterner work than the last battle, 
that Khartoum was their goal, and with its capture the 
power of the Khalifa would be broken for ever and Gordon 
avenged. 

Early in April the railway reached Abadia, a few miles 
from Berber, and in a short time a wonderful transformation 
took place here. From a sandy desert, with scarce a human 
being in sight, it became the scene of a busy industry. Stores 


THE FINAL ADVANCE 


201 


I were sorted and piled as they came up by rail. Three gun- 
' boats arrived in sections, and these were put together. They 
' were stronger and much better defended by steel plates than 
the first gun-boats, and each of them carried two six-pounder 
i quick-firing guns, a small howitzer, four Maxims, and a 
; searchlight. They were, however, much slower than the old 
j boats, and could do very little in the way of towing, 
i Besides these, eight steel double-deck troop barges were 
brought up in sections and put together. Three Egyptian 
I battalions came up from Merawi to aid in the work, which 
not only included building the gun-boats and barges, but 
i executing the repairs to all the native craft and putting them 
in a thoroughly serviceable state. In June the railway 
reached the Atbara, and for the first time for two years and 
a half the officers who had superintended its constructfon 
had a temporary rest. The stores were now transferred from 
Abadia to the Atbara, and two trains ran every day, each 
^ bringing up something like two hundred tons of stores. In 
I the middle of July two Egyptian battalions left Atbara and 
proceeded up the Nile, one on each bank, cutting down trees 
and piling them for fuel for the steamers. As the river rose, 
1 four steamers came up from Dongola, together with a num- 
ber of filing boats, and in the beginning of August the whole 
flotilla, consisting of ten gun-boats, five unarmed steamers, 
eight troop barges, and three or four hundred sailing boats, 
were all assembled. 

By this time the reinforcements from home were all at 
Cairo, and their stores had already been sent up. It was ar- 
ranged that they were to come by half-battalions, by squad- 
rons, and by batteries, each one day behind the other. To 
make room for them, two Egyptian battalions were sent up 
to the foot of the Shabluka cataract. The six black battal- 
ions left Berber on July 30th, and arrived at Atbara the next 
day. 

There were now four brigades in the infantry divisions 
instead of three, two battalions having been raised from the 


^02 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


Dervishes taken at the battle of Atbara. These were as 
eager as any to join in the fight against their late comrades. 
This was scarcely surprising. The Baggara, the tyrants of 
the desert, are horsemen. The infantry were for the most 
part drawn from the conquered tribes. They had enlisted in 
the Khalifa’s force partly because they had no other means 
of subsistence, partly from their innate love of fighting. 
They had, in fact, been little better than slaves; and their 
condition as soldiers in the Egyptian Army was immeasura- 
bly superior to that which they had before occupied. 

Broadwood, with nine squadrons of Egyptian cavalry, was 
already on the western bank of the river opposite Atbara, and 
was to be joined at Metemmeh by the camel corps and another 
squadron of horse from Merawi. On the 3rd of August the 
six Soudanese battalions left Fort Atbara for the point of 
concentration a few miles below the cataract. To the sides 
of each gun-boat, were attached two of the steel barges ; be- 
hind each were two native craft. All were filled as tightly 
as they could be crammed with troops. They were packed 
as in slavers, squatting by the side of each other as closely 
as sardines in a box. The seven steamers and the craft they 
took with them contained six thousand men, so crowded that 
a spectator remarked that planks might have been laid on 
their heads, and that you could have walked about on them, 
while another testified that he could not have shoved a walk- 
ing-stick between them anywhere. White men could not 
have supported it for an hour, but these blacks and Egyptians 
had a hundred miles to go, and the steamers could not make 
more than a knot an hour against the rapid stream, now 
swollen to its fullest. 

While they were leaving, the first four companies of the 
Eifle Brigade arrived. Every day boats laden with stores 
went forward, every day white troops came up. Vast as was 
the quantity of stores sent off, the piles at Atbara did not 
seem to diminish. Ninety days’ provisions, forage, and 
necessaries for the whole force had been accumulated there. 


THE EIN-AL ADVANCE 


203 


and as fast as these were taken away they were replaced hy 
others from Berber. Like everyone connected with the 
transport or store department, Gregory had to work from 
daybreak till dark. Accustomed to a warm climate, light 
in figure, without an ounce of spare flesh, he was able to 
support the heat, dust, and fatigue better than most, and as 
I he himself said, it was less trying to be at work even in the 
blazing sun than to lie listless and sweating under the shade 
of a blanket. There was no necessity now to go down the 
line to make enquiries as to the progress of the stores or of 
! the laden craft on their way up; the telegraph was estab- 
^ lished, and the Sirdar at Atbara knew the exact position of 
I every one of the units between Cairo and himself, and from 
j every station he received messages constantly and despatched 
his orders as frequently. There was no hitch whatever. 
' The arrangements were all so perfect that the vast machine, 
i with its numerous parts, moved with the precision of clock- 
5 work. Everything was up to time. For a train or steamer, 
b or even a native boat, to arrive half an hour after the time 
I calculated for it was almost unheard of. 

I The Sirdar’s force of will seemed to communicate itself 
to every officer under him, and it is safe to. say that never 
before was an expedition so perfectly organized and so mar- 
vellously carried out. At Atbara the Sirdar saw to every- 
thing himself. A brief word of commendation to those 
working under him cheered them through long days of toil— 
an equally curt reproof depressed them to the depths. Twice 
when Gregory was directing some of the blacks piling large 
cases as they were emptied from the train, anathematizing 
the stupid, urging on the willing, and himself occasionally 
lending a hand in order to show how it should be done, the 
Sirdar, who, unknown to him, had been looking on, rode up 
and said shortly, ^^You are doing well, Mr. Hilliard!” and 
he felt that his offence of jumping overboard had been con- 
doned. General Hunter, himself indefatigable, had more 
occasion to notice Gregory’s work, and his commendations 
were frequent and warm. 


204 WITH HITCHEHEE IN THE SOUDAN 

The lad had not forgotten the object with which he had 
come to the front. After Atbara he had questioned many 
of the prisoners who from their age might have fought at 
El Obeid, but none of these had done so. The forces of the 
Khalifa came and went as there was occasion for them. The 
Baggara were always under arms, but only when danger 
threatened were the great levies of foot assembled; for it 
would have been impossible, in the now desolate state of the 
Soudan, to find food for an army of a hundred thousand 
men. All agreed, however, that, with the exception of the 
Egyptian artillerymen, they heard that no single white man 
had escaped. Numbers of the black soldiers had been made 
slaves; the whites had perished — all save one had fallen on 
the field. That one had accompanied a black battalion who 
had held together, and, repulsing all attacks, had marched 
away. They had been followed, however, and after repeated 
attacks had dwindled away until they had finally been broken 
and massacred. 

With the Khalifa’s army were several emirs who had 
fought at El Obeid, and these would no doubt be able to tell 
him more; but none of those who were taken prisoners at 
the Atbara had heard of any white man having escaped the 
slaughter of Hicks’s army. 

Just as the general movement began, the force was joined 
by three companies of Soudanese. These had marched from 
Suakim to Berber, two hundred and eighty-eight miles, in 
fifteen days, an average of nineteen miles a day, — a record 
for such a march, and one that no European force could have 
performed. One day, after marching thirty miles, they came 
to a well and found it dry, and had to march thirty miles 
farther to another water-hole, a feat probably altogether 
without precedent. 

“ You had better fall back upon your old work, Hilliard,” 
the General said the day before they started. “ As my ^ aide ’ 
I shall find plenty for you to do, now that I command the 
whole division.” 


THE FINAL ADVANCE 


205 


Thank you very much, sir ! I don’t think that I shall 
find any work hard after what I have been doing for the past 
four months.” 

‘‘You have got your horse?” 

“Yes; he is in good condition, for I have had no riding 
to do for some time.” 

“ Well, you had better get him on board one of the gyasses 
we shall tow up to-morrow. All our horses will embark this 
evening. We shall be on board at daybreak. Our private 
camels are going with the marching column; you had better 
put yours with them. No doubt they will join us somewhere. 
Of course your kit will be carried with us.” 

It was a delight to Gregory to be on the water again. 
There was generally a cool breeze on the river and always an 
absence of dust. He was now half-way between seventeen 
and eighteen, but the sun had tanned him to a deep-brown 
and had parched his face, thus adding some years to his ap- 
pearance, so that the subalterns of the newly arrived regi- 
ments looked boyish beside him. The responsibilities of his 
work had steadied him, and though he retained his good 
spirits his laugh had lost the old boyish ring. The title of 
Bimbashi, which had seemed absurd to him seven months 
before, was now nothing out of the way, for he looked as 
old as many of the British subalterns serving with that rank 
in the Egyptian army. 

Returning to the little hut that Zaki, with the aid of some 
of the blacks, had built for him, he gave his orders, and in 
a short time the camel — a very good one, which he had ob- 
tained in exchange for that which he had handed over to the 
transport — started with its driver to join those that were to 
carry up the baggage and stores of General Hunter and his 
staff. These were in charge of a sergeant and three privates 
of one of the Soudanese battalions. Gregory had got up a 
case of whisky, one of bottled fruit, and a stock of tea and 
sugar from Berber. No tents could be carried, and he left 
his tente d^ahri at the stores with his canteen, taking on 


206 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


board in his own luggage a plate, knife, fork, and spoon, and 
a couple of tumblers. When the camels had started, he saw 
his horse put on board, and then took a final stroll round the 
encampment. 

The change that had occurred there during the past fort- 
night was striking. Then none but black faces could be seen ; 
now it was the encampment of a British force with its white 
tents and all their belongings. The contrast between the 
newly arrived brigade and the hardy veterans who had fought 
at the Atbara was striking. Bronzed and hearty, inured to 
heat and fatigue, the latter looked fit to go anywhere and do 
anything, and there was hardly a sick man in the four regi- 
ments. On the other hand, the new-comers looked white and 
exhausted with the heat. Numbers had already broken down, 
and the doctors at the hospital had their hands full of fever 
patients. They had scarcely marched a mile since they 
landed in Egypt, and were so palpably unfit for hard work 
that they were, if possible, to proceed the whole way in boats 
in order to be in fighting condition when the hour of battle 
arrived. 

The voyage up the river was an uneventful one. It seemed 
all too short to Gregory, who enjoyed immensely the rest, 
quiet, and comparative coolness. The Sirdar had gone up a 
week before they landed at Wady Hamed. Here the whole 
Egyptian portion of the army, with the exception of the bri- 
gade that was to arrive the next day, was assembled. The 
blacks had constructed straw huts; the Egyptians erected 
shelters, extemporized from their blankets ; while the British 
were to be installed in tents which had been brought up in 
sailing boats. The camp was two miles in length and half a 
mile wide, surrounded by a strong zareba. The Egyptian 
cavalry and the camel corps had arrived. On the opposite 
side of the river was a strong body of friendly Arabs, nomi- 
nally under the Abadar sheik, but in reality commanded by 
Major Montague Stuart-Wortley. By the 23 rd of August 
the whole force had arrived, and the Sirdar reviewed them 


THE FINAL ADVANCE 


207 


drawn np in battle array, and put them through a few 
manoeuvres as if in action. General Gatacre commanded 
the British division — Colonel Wauchope the first brigade, 
and Lyttleton the second. As before, Macdonald, Maxwell, 
and Lewis commanded the first three Egyptian brigades, and 
Collinson that newly raised. General Hunter being in com- 
mand of the division. 

The force numbered in all about twenty thousand, and 
although destitute of the glitter and colour of a British army 
under ordinary circumstances, were as fine a body of men as 
a British general could wish to command, and all alike eager 
to meet the foe. The British division had with them two 
batteries and ten Maxims, and the Egyptian division five 
batteries and ten Maxims. 

As Gregory was strolling through the camp he passed 
where the officers of one of the British regiments were 
seated on boxes round a rough table, over which a sort of 
awning had been erected. 

“ Come and join us, Hilliard. We are having our last 
feast on our last stores, which we got smuggled up in one 
of the gun-boats,” the Major called out. 

“With pleasure, sir.” 

The officer who was sitting at the head of the table made 
room beside him. 

“You men of the Egyptian Army fare a good deal better 
than we do, I think,” the Major went on. “ That institution 
of private camels is an excellent one; we did not know that 
they would be allowed. But after all it is not a bad thing 
that we did not have them, for there is no doubt it is as well 
that the soldiers should not see us faring better than they. 
There is bother enough with the baggage as it is. Of course 
it is different in your case. There are only two or three white 
officers with each battalion, and it would not strike your 
black troops as a hardship that you should have different 
food from themselves. They are living as well as, or better 
than, they ever did in their lives. Three camels make no 


208 WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 

material addition to your baggage-train, while as there are 
thirty or forty of lis it would make a serious item in ours, 
and the General’s keen eyes would spot them at once.” 

Our camels are no burden to the army,” Gregory said ; 

they only have a few pounds of grain a day, and get their 
living principally on what they can pick up. When they go 
on now, they will each carry fifty pounds of private grain. 
They get five pounds when there are no bushes or grass, so 
that the grain will last them for a fortnight.” 

“T suppose you think that the Dervishes mean fighting ? ” 
think there is no doubt about it. All the fugitives 
that come in say that the Khalifa will fight, but whether it 
will be in the defence of Omdurman, or whether he will come 
out and attack us at Kerreri, none can say. The Khalifa 
keeps his intentions to himself.” 

“ By the bye, Hilliard, I don’t think you know my right- 
hand neighbour; he only joined us an hour before we started, 
having been left behind at Cairo sick. Mr. Hartley, let me 
introduce you to Mr. Hilliard — I^should say Bimbashi Hill- 
iard; he is on General Hunter’s staff.” 

The young lieutenant placed an eye-glass in his eye and 
bowed to Gregory. 

“ Have you been in this beastly country long ? ” he asked. 

“ If you include Lower Egypt, I have been here eighteen 
years.” 

“ Dear me ! ” the other .drawled ; the climate seems to 
have agreed with you.” 

“ Fairly well,” Gregory replied ; “ I don’t mind the heat 
much, and one doesn’t feel it while one is at work.” 

“Hartley has not tried that yet,” one of the others 
laughed; “ work is not in his line. This most unfortunate ill- 
ness of his kept him back at Cairo, and he brought such a sup- 
ply of ice with him when he came up that he was able to hand 
over a hundredweight of it to us when he arrived.* I don’t 
think. Major, that in introducing him you should have omit- 
ted to mention that but for a temporary misfortune he would 


THE FINAL ADVANCE 


209 


be the Marquis of Langdale ; but in another two years he will 
blossom out into his full title, and then I suppose we shall 
lose him.” 

Gregory, whose knowledge of the English peerage was 
extremely limited, looked puzzled. 

May I ask how that it ? ” he said. I always thought 
that the next heir to a title succeeded to it as soon as his 
father died.” 

“As a rule that is the case,” the Major said, “but the 
present is an exceptional one. At the death of the late 
marquis the heir to the title was missing. I may say that 
the late marquis only enjoyed the title for two years. The 
next of kin, a brother of his, had disappeared, and up to the 
present no news has been obtained of him. Of course he has 
been advertised for, and so on, but without success. It is 
known that he married, but as he did so against the wish of 
his father he broke o£P all communication with his family, 
and it is gep^rally supposed that he emigrated. Pending 
any news of him the title is held in abeyance. 

“ He may have died ; it is probable that he has done so, for 
he could hardly have escaped seeing the advertisements that 
were inserted in every paper. Of course, if he has left chil- 
dren they inherit the title. After a lapse of five years Mr. 
Hartley’s father, who was the next heir and who 'died five 
years ago, applied to be declared the inheritor of the title, 
but the peers or judges or someone decided that twenty-one 
years must elapse before such an application could be even 
considered. The income has been accumulating ever since, 
so that at the end of that time it is probable that Mr. Hartley 
will be allowed to assume the title. 

“Will the estates go with the title. Hartley?” 

“ Oh, I should say so, of course ! ” the other drawled ; “ the 
title would not be of much use without them.” 

“ Honsense, my dear fellow ! ” another said ; “ why, a fellow 
with your personal advantage and a title would be able to 
command the AAierican market and to pick up an heiress 
with millions.” 


210 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

The general laugh that followed showed that Hartley was 
by no means a popular character in the regiment. 

“ The fellow is a consummate ass,” the man on Gregory’s 
left whispered. He only got into the service as a Queen’s 
cadet ; he could no more have got in by marks than he could 
have flown. Ho one believes that he had anything the mat- 
ter with him at Cairo ; but he preferred stopping behind and 
coming up by himself without any duties, to taking any 
share in the work. He is always talking about his earldom, — 
that is why the Major mentioned it, so as to draw him out.” 
But I suppose he is really heir to it ? ” 

Yes, if no one else claims it. For aught that is known, 
there may be half a dozen children of the man that is miss- 
ing, knocking about somewhere in Canada or Australia; if 
so, they are safe to turn up sooner or later. You see, as the 
man had an elder brother he would not have counted at all 
upon coming to the title. He may be in some out-of-the-way 
place where even a colonial newspaper would never reach him, 
but sooner or later he or some of his sons will be coming 
home and will hear of the last earl’s death, and then this 
fellow’s nose will be put out of joint. I am sure everyone 
in the regiment would be glad, for he is an insufferable ass. 
I suppose, when he comes into the title he will either cut 
the army altogether or exchange into the Guards.” 

The party presently broke up, having flnished the last 
bottle of wine they had brought up. Gregory remained 
seated by the Major, discussing the cFances of the campaign 
and the points where resistance might be expected. The 
other officers stood talking a short distance off. Presently 
Gregory caught the words — 

“ How is it that this young fellow calls himself Bimbashi, 
which, I believe, means major?” ' 

. He does not call himself that, although that is his rank. 
All the white officers in the Egyptiaif Army have that rank, 
though they may only be lieutenants in ours.” 

call it a monstrous thing,” the drawling voice then 


THE FINAL ADYANGE 


211 


said, that a young fellow like this, who seems to be an 
Egyptian by birth, should have a higher rank than men here 
who have served fifteen or twenty years.” 

The Major got up and walked across to the group. 

“ I will tell you why, Mr. Hartley,” he said in a loud voice. 
“It is because, for the purpose of the war in this country, 
they know infinitely more than the officers of our army. 
They talk the languages, they know the men. These blacks 
will follow them anywhere to the death. As for Mr. Hill- 
iard, he has performed feats that any officer in the army, 
whatever his rank, would be proud to have done. He went 
in disguise into the Dervish camp at Metemmeh, before 
Hunter’s advance began, and obtained invaluable informa- 
tion. He jumped overboard from a gun-boat to save a 
drowning Dervish woman, although to do so involved almost 
certain capture and death at the hands of the Dervishes. In 
point of fact his escape was a remarkable one, for he was 
tied to a tree in the first line of the Dervish defences at At- 
hara, and was only saved by what was almost a miracle. He 
may not be heir to an earldom, Mr. Hartley, but he would 
do more credit to the title than many I could name. I hear 
him well spoken of by everyone as an indefatigable worker, 
and as having performed the most valuable services. Cap- 
tain Keppel, on whose gun-boat he served for two or three 
months, spoke to me of him in the highest terms, and Gen- 
eral Hunter has done the same. I fancy, sir, that it will be 
some years before you are likely to distinguish yourself so 
highly. His father was an officer who fell in battle, and 
if he happened to be born in Egypt, as you sneeringly said 
just now, all I can say is that, in my opinion, had you been 
born in Egypt you would not occupy the position which he 
now does.” 

Gregory had walked away when the Major rose, and he did 
not return to the party. It was the first time that he had 
run across a bad specimen of the British officer, and his words 
had stung him. But, as he said to himself, he need not mind 


212 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


them, as the fellow’s own comrades regarded him, as one of 
them said, as “ an insufferable ass.” Still, he could not help 
wishing to himself that the missing heir might turn up in 
time to disappoint him. 

General Hunter started next day at noon with two of his 
brigades and the mounted troops, the other two brigades fol- 
lowing at nightfall. The previous night had been one of the 
most unpleasant Gregory had ever spent. The long-expected 
rain had come at last. It began suddenly ; there was a flash 
of lightning, and then came a violent burst of wind which 
tore down the tents and the flimsy shelters of the Egyptians 
and Soudanese. ‘ Before this had ceased, the rain poured 
down in a torrent; lightning, wind, and rain kept on till 
morning, and when the start was made everyone was soaked 
to the skin. The Egyptian baggage left at the same time 
in native craft. 

That evening they arrived at the mouth of the Shabluka 
Cataract. Here it had been expected that the advance would 
be opposed, as strong forts had been erected by the enemy, 
the river narrowed greatly, and precipitous rocks rose on 
either side. Through these the course was winding and the 
current ran with great strength, the eddies and sharp bends 
making it extremely difficult for the gun-boats to keep their 
course ; indeed it would have been impossible for them to get 
up had the forts been manned, as they would have had to 
pass within two hundred yards of the guns. But although 
the forts could hardly have been attacked by the gun-boats, 
they were commanded by a lofty hill behind them, and the 
scouts had discovered some weeks before that the Dervishes 
had retired from the position and that the passage would be 
unopposed. Maxwell’s and Colville’s brigades started at four 
that afternoon, and the next day the whole division was es- 
tablished at El Hejir above the cataracts. 

Lyttleton’s brigade started at five o’clock a.m. on the 
25th, the gun-boats and other steamers moving parallel with 
them along the river. At five in the afternoon the first 


THE FINAL ADVANCE 


213 


brigade followed, and two days afterwards the camp was 
entirely evacuated and the whole of the stores well on their 
way towards El Hejir. On the previous day two regiments 
of Wortley’s column of friendly natives also marched south. 

The Sirdar and head-quarters, after having seen everything 
off, went up in a gun-boat, starting at nine in the morning. 

As usual the Soudanese troops had been accompanied by 
a considerable number of their wives, who were heavily laden 
with their little household goods, and in many cases babies. 
They trudged patiently along in the rear of the columns and 
formed an encampment of their own half a mile av^^ay from 
the men’s, generally selecting a piece of ground surrounded 
by thick bush, into which they could escape should Dervish 
raiders come down upon them. 

The stores arrived in due course. One of the gun-boats, 
however, was missing — the Zafir, with three gyasses in tow, 
having suddenly sunk ten miles north of Shendy owing to 
being so deeply loaded that the water got into the hold. 
Those on board had just time to scramble into the boats or 
swim to shore. No lives were lost, though there were many 
narrow escapes. Among these were Commander Keppel and 
Prince Christian Victor, who were on board. Fortunately, 
another steamer soon came along and took the gyasses, with 
the ship-wrecked officers and crew on board, and towed them 
up to El Hejir. 

It had been intended to stay here some little time, but the 
Nile continued to rise to an altogether exceptional height, 
and part of the camp was flooded. At five o’clock, therefore, 
the Egyptian brigades started, with the guns on their right 
and the steamers covering their left, while the cavalry and 
camel corps were spread widely out in advance to give notice 
of any approaching Dervish force. As usual the soldiers’ 
wives turned out, and as the battalions marched past, shouted 
encouragement to their husbands, calling upon them to be- 
have like men and not to turn back in battle. The presence 
of the women had an excellent effect on the soldiers, and in 


214 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

addition to their assistance in carrying their effects, they 
cooked their rations, and looked after them generally. The 
Sirdar, therefore, did not discourage their presence in the 
field, and even supplied them with rations when it was im- 
possible for them to obtain them elsewhere. In the after- 
noon the two white brigades also moved forward. At nine 
o’clock they arrived at their camping-ground, and the whole 
army was again collected together. 

hJ'ext morning the four squadrons of Egyptian horse, with 
a portion of the cavalry, went forward to reconnoitre, and 
one of the gun-boats proceeded a few miles up the river. 
Neither saw anything of the enemy. There had been heavy 
rain during the night; this had ceased at daybreak, and a 
strong wind speedily dried the sands, raising such clouds of 
dust that it was difiicult to see above a few yards. The storm 
had also the effect of hindering the flotilla. On the other 
side of the river Stuart- Wortley’s friendlies had a sharp 
brush with some Dervishes, whom they had come upon raid- 
ing a village whose inhabitants had not obeyed the Khalifa’s 
orders to move into Omdurman. As the rain-storms con- 
tinued, it was decided by a council of war that the health 
of the troops would suffer by a longer stay. 

On the 29th, therefore, the army set out in order of battle, 
ready to encounter the Khalifa’s attack, but arrived without 
molestation at Dm Teref, a short distance from Kerreri, 
where it was expected the enemy would give battle. The 
camp was smaller than those hitherto made, and was pro- 
tected by a strong zareba. The sentries were doubled and 
patrols thrown out. Heavy rain set in after sunset, and 
almost a deluge poured down. The tents had been left be- 
hind, and as the little blanket-shelters were soon soaked 
through, their occupants were speedily wet to the skin. It 
was still raining when at. half-past five the force again 
started. As before, the army was marching in fighting order. 
The day was cool and cloudy, and at one o’clock they halted 
at a village called Merreh or Seg. The cavalry had come 


THE FINAL ADVANCE 


215 


into touch with the Dervish patrols, but the latter, although 
numerous, avoided combat. In one of the deserted villages 
was found one of Wingate’s spies in Dervish attire. He had 
left Omdurman thirty hours before, and brought the news 
that the Khalifa intended to attack at Kerreri. 

This place had been chosen because there was current an 
old prophecy by a Persian sheik to the effect that English 
soldiers would one day fight at Kerreri and be destroyed 
there. It had therefore become an almost holy place to the 
Mahdists, and was called the death-place of all the infidels, 
and once a year the Khalifa and his followers made a pil- 
grimage to it. A few shots were fired during the night, and 
fires blazed on the hills to notify to Omdurman our precise 
position. 

The troops started again soon after daylight, facing now 
to the right and marching westward, to leave the bush and 
broken ground and get out in the open desert stretching 
away to Omdurman. The cavalry were widely spread out, 
and the Lancers ascended to the top of the hill of El Teb, 
from which a view of the Dervish camp was obtained. 

It lay some ten miles due south. The Dervishes were dis- 
posed in three long lines stretching from within two thou- 
sand yards of the Kile out into the desert, being careful to 
get, as they believed, beyond the range of the four gun-boats 
that steamed quietly up. After a short march the force 
halted near the river, two miles north of Kerreri. The place 
was convenient for camping, but the banks of the river were 
steep, and there was much difficulty in watering the horses 
and transport animals. 

“We are in for another bad night,” one of the General’s 
staff said to Gregory as the evening approached. 

“ It looks like it ; clouds are banking up fast. If the rain 
would but come in the daytime instead of at night one would 
not object to it much. It would lay the dust and cool the 
air ; besides, on the march we have other things to think of, 
and though of course we should be drenched to the skin, we 


216 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


should not mind it. But it is very unpleasant lying in a 
pool of water with streams running in at one’s neck.” 

“ As to one’s blanket, it is like a sponge five minutes after 
the rain begins,” the officer said. 

I am better off in that respect,” Gregory remarked, “ for 
when I left my little tent behind, I kept a waterproof sheet 
instead of my second blanket. I had intended to use it tent 
fashion, but it was blown down in a minute after the first 
storm burst. Now I stand up, wrap my blanket tightly round 
me, while my boy does the same with the waterproof sheet, 
and I keep moderately dry, except that the water will trickle 
in at the end near my neck; but, on the other hand, the 
wrapping keeps me so hot that I might almost as well lie 
uncovered in the rain.” 

The staff had intended taking a few tents with them, but 
these were practically of no use at all, as all canvas had to be 
lowered by the time that “lights out sounded, and after 
that hour no loud talking was permitted in the camp. This 
might have been a privation had the weather been fine, but 
even the most joyous spirit had little desire for conversation 
when the rain was falling in bucketfuls over him. The 
officers of the white division lay down by their men in the 
position they would occupy if an attack by the ^enemy took 
place. The officers of the Egyptian regiments lay together 
just in rear of their men. As soon as the “ last post ” sounded 
absolute silence reigned. The sentries placed a very short 
distance out kept their senses of sight and hearing on the 
alert, and with eye and ear strove to detect the approach of 
•a lurking foe. Jaalin scouts were stationed outside the 
zareba, so as to give an early warning of the approach of the 
enemy; but no reliance could be placed upon them, for, 
altogether without discipline, they would probably creep 
under bushes, and endeavour to find some shelter from the 
pitiless downpour. 

Had the Khalifa known his business he would have taken 
advantage of the tempestuous night and launched his war- 


THE FINAL ADVANCE 


217 


riors at the camp. Confident as the officers of the expedi- 
tion were in the ability of their men to repulse any assault 
that might be made in the daylight, it was felt that such an 
attack would cause terrible loss, and possibly grave disaster, 
if delivered at night. The enemy might not be discovered 
until within a few yards of the camp, the swish of the rain 
and the almost incessant crash of thunder would deaden the 
sound of their approach, and long before the troops could 
leap to their feet and prepare to receive them calmly, the 
Dervishes would be upon them. As the latter were enor- 
mously stronger in numbers, the advantage of superior 
weapons would be lost in a hand-to-hand fight, and in the 
inevitable confusion, as the troops in reserve would be unable 
to open fire while ignorant of the precise position of friends 
and foes. The Khalifa, however, was relying upon prophecy. 
It was at Kerreri that the infidel army was to be utterly 
destroyed, and he may have thought that it would be tempt- 
ing fate were he to precipitate an action before the invaders 
reached the spot where their doom had been pronounced. 

Even more miserable than night was the hour before dawn. 
Lying still, drenched to the skin as they were, Kature pre- 
vailed, and the men obtained some sleep ; but when they rose 
to their feet and threw off the sodden blankets, they felt the 
full misery of eight hours’ drenching ; they were cold now as 
well as wet, and as they endeavoured to squeeze the water 
from their clothes, and to restore circulation by swinging 
their arms, but few words were spoken, and the rising of the 
sun, which was regarded as a terrible infliction during the 
day, was eagerly looked for. Ko sooner did it appear above 
the horizon than the spirits of the men rose rapidly, and 
they laughed, joked, and made light of the inconveniences 
of the situation. An hour later their clothes were nearly 
dry. By that time they were all well on their way, the bri- 
gades as before marching in echelon — Wauchope’s brigade 
on the left, Littleton’s farther to the right but more to the 
rear, the three Egyptian brigades farther out on the plain. 


218 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

the 21st Lancers scouting the ground in front of the British 
division, and the native cavalry and camel corps out beyond 
the right of the Egyptians. All expected that at least they 
should have a skirmish before they reached Kerreri, where 
they were to encamp, but as they advanced it was found that 
the Dervishes had fallen back from that line and had joined 
the Khalifa’s main force near Omdurman. 

By ten in the morning the army had arrived at its camping- 
place, which was in the southern part of the ground occupied 
by the straggling village. As usual, both extremities of the 
line rested on the Kile, forming a semi-circle, in which the 
baggage animals and stores were placed, in charge of Collin- 
son’s brigade. The gun-boats took up their position to cover 
the ground over which an enemy must approach to the attack. 
While the infantry were settling down, the cavalry and 
camel corps went out scouting. Signallers soon mounted a 
rugged hill named Surgham, and from here a fine view was 
obtained of Omdurman and the Khalifa’s army. Omdurman 
was six miles away, covering a wide tract of ground, with 
but few buildings rising above the general level, the one con- 
spicuous object being the great tom^ of the Mahdi with its 
white dome. In the outskirts of the town were the white 
tents of the Dervish army. For the present these were unoc- 
cupied, the whole force being drawn up in regular line out 
on the plain, about half-way between the town and Surgham 

Hin. 

It was formed in five divisions, each of which was bright 
with banners of all colours, sizes, and shapes. The Khalifa’s 
own division was in the centre, where his great black banner, 
waving from a lofty fiagstafi, could be plainly made out. 

The Lancers, Egyptian cavalry, and camel corps continued 
to advance, capturing several parties of footmen, principally 
Jaalins, who probably lagged purposely behind the retiring 
Dervishes in order to be taken. At times the cavalry 
attempted to charge the Dervish horsemen when these ap- 
proached, but in no case did the latter await the attack. 


THE FINAL ADVANCE 


219 


Presently, above the occasional musketry fire came the boom 
of a heavy gun. There was a thrill of excitement in the 
camp. The gun-boats had arrived opposite Omdurman and 
had opened fire upon the Dervish river-side forts. These 
were strongly constructed, but, as in the forts at Metemmeh 
I and Shabluka, the embrasures were so faultily constructed 
^ that the guns could only be brought to bear upon the portion 



I passed them without receiving any material damage, and 
I were so able to maintain the bombardment without receiving 
any fire in return. At the same time they landed the forty- 
; pounder guns on an island but a short distance from the 
I town, and thence opened fire with lyddite shells upon it. The 
j howitzers were trained upon the Mahdi’s tomb and soon great 
j holes were knocked in the dome. 

[ It could be seen from the top of the hill that this caused 
great excitement in the Dervish lines, and a number of their 
horsemen rode out against the Lancers and drove in their 
advance scouts; but on the main body of the regiment mov- 
ing forward they fell back to their line, and almost imme- 
diately a heavy body of infantry moved out, their intention 
evidently being to surround and cut off the regiment, while 
at the same time a general advance took place. The Colonel 
of the Lancers dismounted a portion of his men, and these 
checked the advance of the enemy until the rest fell back. 

The news of the advance was signalled to General Kitch- 
ener, and the whole force at once took their position in fight- 
ing order. Believing that a general attack on the camp 
would now be made, the cavalry fell back on either flank, so 
as to clear the way for the fire of the artillery and infantry. 
The Dervishes had a good view of our camp from the top 
of Surgham, but the Khalifa apparently considered that it 
was too late in the day for a general attack, and drew off 
his men to their former position, and the rest of the after- 
noon and evening passed quietly. 

As the men ate their meal of tinned meat and biscuit they 


220 


WITH HITCHEHER IN THE SOHDAN 


were in higher spirits than they had been since th6 advance 
began. Hitherto they had been in constant apprehension 
lest the Dervishes should shun a battle, and would retire 
across the desert to El Obeid or elsewhere, and that they 
would have to perform interminable desert marches, only to 
find, on arriving at the goal, that the enemy had again 
moved off. The events of the day, however, seemed to show 
that this fear was groundless, and that the Khalifa had 
determined to fight a decisive battle for the defence of his 
capital. The British soldier is ready to support any fatigue 
and any hardship with a prospect of a fight at the end, and 
during the advance he is always haunted by the fear that the 
enemy will retire or give in on his approach. This fear was 
stronger than usual on this expedition, for there was no ques- 
tion as to the greatly superior mobility of the Dervishes, and 
it was evident that if they chose, to avoid fighting they had 
it in their power to do so. 


CHAPTEE XIV 

OMDURMAN 

T he night passed quietly, except that shots were occasion- 
ally fired by Dervishes who -crept up within range, and 
that once a mounted man, who had apparently lost his way, 
rode fearlessly into camp, and then, finding himself close to 
the troops, turned his horse and galloped off again. Ho shot 
followed him, as the orders were strict that the camp was not 
to be alarmed unless in the case of a serious attack. 

At half -past three the bugle sounded, and the troops were 
soon astir. The animals were watered and fed, and the men 
had a breakfast of cocoa or tea, with biscuits and tinned 
meat. At half-past four Colonel Broadwood, commanding 
the Egyptian cavalry, sent out a squadron to the hills on the 
west, and another to Surgham Hill. The latter arrived at 







OMDUKMAN 


221 


their destination at two minutes past five, when daylight had 
just broken. The officer in command saw at once that the 
Dervish army had been reinforced in the night, and were 
marching to attack us. 

News was at once sent back to the camp, where all was 
in readiness for an advance. No news could have been more 
welcome. It was one thing to attack the Dervishes in their 
chosen position, and to carry the narrow streets of Omdur- 
man at the point of the bayonet — the Dervishes had shown at 
Abu Hamed how desperately they could fight under such cir- 
cumstances — and another to meet them while attacking our 
position in the open. This was protected along the line 
occupied by the white troops by a hedge, while the three 
Egyptian brigades had constructed shelter trenches. These 
afforded a vastly better defence against a foe advancing by 
daylight, although they would not be so effective in checking 
a sudden and determined rush in the darkness. 

Preparations were at once made to oppose the enemy. The 
Sirdar and his staff were already mounting when the news 
arrived; the horses were now taken to the rear, the reserve 
ammunition-boxes lifted from the mules^ backs and the ani- 
mals led to a sheltered position behind some huts. 

The guns were wheeled up into positions between the in- 
fantry brigades. The troops were disposed in line two deep, 
two companies of each battalion, with the stretchers and 
bearers, taking post at a short distance farther back to rein- 
force the front line if hardly pressed, and to supply it from 
the reserve store of ammunition. Already the gun-boats had 
recommenced the bombardment of Omdurman and the 
mosque of the Mahdi, but as soon as news came that the 
Dervishes were advancing to the attack, they were signalled 
to return to cover the flank of the zareba. On their arrival 
they took up a position whence they could shell the line by 
which the Dervishes were advancing, and which would bring 
them apparently five or six hundred yards west of Surgham 
Hill. The Lancers at once started forward to cover the left 


222 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


flank of the positiou. In a few minutes they reached Surg- 
ham Hill and joined the Egyptian squadron there. 

The sight from the crest of Surgham Hill was grand. The 
enemy’s front extended over three miles. The lines were 
deep and compact, and the banners floated above them. They 
were advancing steadily and in good order, and their battle- 
cries rose and fell in measured cadence. Their numbers were 
variously estimated at from flfty to seventy thousand — a 
superb force, consisting of men as brave as any in the world, 
and animated by religious fanaticism and an intense hatred 
of those they were marching to assail. In the centre were 
the Khalifa’s own corps, twenty thousand strong. On their 
right was the banner of Yacoub, his brother, and beyond, 
two divisions led by well-known emirs, while on his left was 
the division led by his son, Osman, known as Sheik Ed Din, 
the nominal commander-in-chief of the whole force. 

The 21st Lancers, out in skirmishing order, were speedily 
driven back by the Dervishes, and retired into the zareba. 
When the latter came near enough to see the small British 
force, a shout of exultation rose from their ranks, for they 
felt certain now of surrounding and annihilating the infidels, 
according to the prophecy. On our side the. satisfaction was 
no less marked. The front line moved forward to the thorny 
hedge and prepared to open fire above it. The black troops 
uttered a joyful shout of defiance as they took their places 
in their trenches. 

When the enemy were two thousand eight hundred yards 
away the three batteries on the left of the zareba opened fire, 
and two batteries on the right, and a number of Maxims, 
joined in pouring shell and bullets into the thickest of the 
Dervish mass round the Khalifa’s banner. 

The effect was terrible. For a moment the Dervish lines 
halted, astonished at the storm to which they were exposed. 
But it was only for a moment. The wide gaps were filled up, 
and at a quicker pace than before, the great line swept on, 
the banner-bearers and Baggara horsemen pushing forward 


OMDUKMAN 


223 


to the front to encourage the infantry. Seeing how per- 
sistently they were coming on, the Sirdar ordered the men 
of Lyttleton’s brigade to open fire at long range. The Grena- 
diers were the first to begin, firing volleys in sections. The 
other regiments of the brigade were soon hard at it, but 
neither they nor the Maxims appeared to be doing serious 
execution, while the terrible effect of the shell fire could 
really be seen. But although great numbers of the enemy 
were killed or wounded by the bursting shells, there was no 
halt in the forward movement. 

Suddenly over the crest and sides of the Surgham Hill the 
division of the Dervish right, reinforced by a portion of 
Yacoub’s division, appeared, and over fifteen thousand men 
came streaming down the hill waving banners and shouting 
their war-cries. They were led by their emirs on horseback, 
but the infantry kept pace with these, occasionally discharg- 
ing their rifles at random. The guns of the three batteries 
and one of the Maxims were swung round and opened upon 
them. They were less than a mile away, and the whole of 
Gatacre’s division opened a terrific fire. Still the Dervishes 
held on, leaving the ground they passed over white with 
fallen men. From seventeen hundred yards the sights had to 
be lowered rapidly, but at a thousand yards they held their 
foe. Ho man could cross the ground swept by the hail of 
balls. So rapid and sustained was the fire that men had to 
retire to refill their pouches from the reserve ammunition, 
and the rifles were so heated that they could no longer be held. 
In some cases the men changed their weapons for those of 
the companies in reserve, in others these companies closed 
up and took the places of the front line. Hot for a moment 
was there any cessation in the fire. 

Unable to do more, YacouUs men moved towards the front 
and joined the main body, whose advance had been checked 
by the fire of Maxwell’s Egyptian brigade. A few rounds 
had been fired by the three cannon that the Khalifa had 
brought out with him, but they all fell short. On our side 


224 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

the casualties had been few. In their desperate attempt to 
get at close quarters the Dervish riflemen had not stopped 
to reload the weapons they had discharged, and there was 
practically no return to the awful Are to which they had been 
exposed. 

But while Yacoub’s force had been terribly punished, and 
the main body, brought to a stand-still at a distance of four- 
teen hundred yards, had suffered almost as heavily, the battle 
had not gone so well to the right of our position, towards 
which the Edialifa was now moving. Broadwood’s horse and 
the camel corps had been driven off the hill they occupied, 
and so fierce was the attack that three of the guns of the 
horse-battery had to be left behind. The camel corps were 
ordered to retire rapidly and make for shelter to the right 
rear of the camp. The force made two or three stands, and 
the Egyptian cavalry more than once charged the pursuing 
horsemen. The gun-boats opened fire and covered the final 
retirement of the camel corps, which had lost eighty men. 
The cavalry did not retire to the zareba, but continued to 
fall back, occasionally turning and facing the enemy, until 
they were five miles away, when the Dervishes gave up the 
pursuit, and sat down to rest after their tremendous exer- 
tions. 

Although forced to retire, the cavalry had done good ser- 
vice, for they had drawn off a great body of the enemy at 
a critical moment, and these were unable to return and take 
part in the battle still raging. At length the Khalifa moved 
off with all his force behind the western hills, and for a short 
time there was a lull in the battle. Many of the wounded 
tribesmen crawled up to within seven or eight hundred yards 
of the zareba and there opened fire. Their aim was good, 
and men began to drop fast in spite of the volleys fired to 
clear off the troublesome foe. But their fire was soon disre- 
garded, for from the ravines in the range of low hills behind 
which the Khalifa’s force had disappeared, a mass of men 
burst out at a hard run. Erom their shelter behind Surgham 


OMDUKMAN' 


225 


Hill a portion of the force who were there also swept down 
to join the Khalifa, while Yacoub advanced from the south- 
west, and another body from the west. 

Instantly the^ infantry and artillery fire broke out again. 
On the previous day the distance had been measured and 
marked on several conspicuous objects, and the storm of 
shells tore the ranks of the enemy and the rifies swept them 
with a rain of bullets. But in face of all this the Dervishes 
continued to advance at a run, their numbers thinning every 
minute. Two or three hundred horsemen, with their emirs, 
dashed at the zareba at full gallop; shrapnel, Maxim, and 
rifie bullets swept their ranks, but nearer and nearer they 
came, with lessening numbers every yard, until the last of 
them fell within about two hundred yards of Maxwell’s line. 
Animated by the example, the infantry rushed forward. The 
black fiag was planted within nine hundred yards of Max- 
well’s left, but in addition to the Egyptian fire the cross-fire 
of the British divisions poured upon those around it. The 
main body began to waver, .but the Khalifa and his emirs did 
their best to encourage and rally them. The fiag was riddled 
with balls, and the men who held it were shot down; but 
others seized the post of honour until a pile of bodies accumu- 
lated round it. 

At last but one man remained standing there. For a min- 
ute he stood quietly immovable, ihen fell forward dead. 
Then the Dervishes lost heart and began to fall back in ones 
and twos, then in dozens, until the last had disappeared be- 
hind the hills. The troops then turned their attention to 
the men who, lying in shelter, were still maintaining their 
fire. There were fully a thousand of these, and the greater 
portion of our casualties took place from their fire while 
the troops were occupied in repelling the m<iin attack. It 
was not long, however, before bullets and shel^l proved too 
much for them, and those who survived crawled ^:^ay to join 
their kinsmen behind the hills. 

It was eight o’clock now, and the victory had appk-ojitly 


226 WITH KITCHENEK IH THE SOUDAN 

been won. Some ten thousand of the Khalifa’s best troops 
had been killed or wounded. In the British division one 
officer and one man had been killed, and three officers and 
sixty-five men wounded. The latter were at^once placed on 
board the hospital barges; fresh ammunition was served out, 
and half an hour after the last shot was fired the army pre- 
pared to march on Omdurman. 

It was most important that they should arrive at the town 
before Ed Din’s Dervishes should reach it, for unless they 
could do so, the loss that would be incurred in capturing it 
would be vastly greater than that which had been suffered 
in the battle. At nine o’clock the start was made. The 
troops advanced in brigades, Lyttleton led on the left, 
Wauchope was on his right. Maxwell somewhat in the rear, 
while still more to the right came Lewis, and farther out on 
the plain Macdonald. They formdd roughly half a semi- 
circle. Lyttleton, followed by Wauchope, was to march be- 
tween the river and Surgham Hill, Maxwell was to cross, over 
the hill, while Lewis and Macdonald were to keep farther out 
to the right. Collinson’s Egyptian brigade was to guard the 
stores and materials left behind. 

The 21st Lancers scouted ahead of the British brigades to 
discover if any foe were lurking behind Surgham Hill. 
When about half a milfe south of the hill they saw a small 
party of Dervish cavalry and some infantry, who were hiding 
in what looked like a shallow water-course. The four squad- 
rons rode forward at a gallop. A sharp musketry fire opened 
upon them, but without hesitation they dashed headlong at 
the Dervishes, when they found that, instead of a hundred 
and fifty foemen as they had supposed, some fifteen hundred 
Dervishes were lying concealed in the water-course. It was 
too late to draw rein, and with a cheer the cavalry rode down 
into the midst of the foe. There was a wild, fierce fight, 
lance against spear, sabre against sword, the butt-end of a 
rifie or che deadly knife. Some cut their way through un- 
scathed; others were surrounded and cut off. Splendid feats 



WTTTT A CTIErn THE CAVALRY RODE DOWN INTO THE MIDST 


OF THE FOE 






I 



» 

\ 




I 




I 









t 

t 


*! 




OMDURMAN 


227 


of heroism were performed. Many of those who got over 
returned to rescue officers or comrades, until at last all the 
survivors climbed the bank. 

The brunt of the fighting fell upon the two central squad- 
rons. iNot only were the enemy thickest where they charged, 
but the opposite bank of the deep nullah was composed of 
rough boulders almost impassable by horses ; these squadrons 
lost sixteen killed and nineteen wounded. Altogether twenty- 
two officers and men were killed and fifty wounded, and there 
were one hundred and nineteen casualties among the horses. 
Once across, the survivors gathered at a point where their 
fire commanded the water-course, and, dismounting, speedily 
drove the Dervishes from it. On examining it afterwards it 
was found that sixty dead Dervishes lay where the central 
squadrons had cut their way through. 

The charge in its daring and heroism resembled that of the 
23rd Light Dragoons at Talavera. The fall into the ravine 
on that occasion was much deeper than that into which the 
Lancers dashed, but it was not occupied by a desperate force ; 
and although many were injured by the fall, it was in their 
subsequent charge against a whole French division that they 
were almost annihilated. 

Both incidents were, like the Balaclava charge, magnifi- 
cent, but they were not war. A desperate charge to cover the 
retreat of a defeated army is legitimate and worthy of all 
praise even if the gallant men who make it are annihilated, 
but this was not the case at Talavera nor at Omdurman. 
It was a brilliant but a costly mistake. The bravery shown 
was superb, and the manner in which officers and men rode 
back into the struggling mass to rescue comrades beyond all 
praise ; but the charge should never have been made, and the 
lives were uselessly sacrificed. 

As yet all was quiet at other points. Bodies of the enemy 
could be seen making their way towards Omdurman. The 
battery opposite the town had from early morning been keep- 
ing up a fire from its heavy guns upon it, but, save for the 


228 


WITH KITCHENEE IN THE SOUDAN 


occasional shot of a lurking Dervish, all was quiet else- 
where. 

While the cavalry charge was in progress Gregory had 
moved along the line of the Egyptian brigades with General 
Hunter. Suddenly, from behind the hills where the Khalifa 
had fallen back with his defeated army, a column of fully 
twelve thousand men, led by the banner-bearers and emirs, 
poured out again. A strong body sprang forward from 
another valley and made for the south-eastern corner of Mac- 
donald’s brigade, which had moved almost due west from the 
position it had occupied in the zareba, while the large force 
that had chased away the Egyptian cavaliy were seen return- 
ing to attack him in the rear. General Hunter, who was 
riding between Macdonald’s and Lewis’s brigades, which were 
now a good mile apart, exclaimed to Gregory, who happened 
to be the nearest officer to him, Ride to Macdonald and tell 
him to fall back if possible ! ” Then he turned and galloped 
off to fetch up reinforcements. But the need was already 
seen, the sudden uproar had attracted the attention of the 
whole army, and the Sirdar instantly grasped the situation. 
The moment was indeed critical. If Macdonald’s brigade 
were overwhelmed it might have meant a general disaster, 
and the Sirdar at once sent orders to Wauchope’s brigade to 
go at the double to Macdonald’s aid. 

Fortunately Colonel Long, who commanded the artillery, 
had sent three batteries with Macdonald’s brigade. Collin- 
son’s brigade were far away near the river, Lewis’s were 
themselves threatened. It was evident at once that no as- 
sistance could reach Macdonald in time. When Gregory 
reached him the Dervishes were already approaching. 

“ It cannot be done,” Macdonald said sternly, when Greg- 
ory delivered the' message ; “ we must fight ! ” Indeed, to 
retreat would have meant destruction. The fire would have 
been ineffective, and the thirty thousand fierce foes would 
have been among them. There was nothing to do but to 
fight. 


OMDUEMAN’ 


229 


! 

1 


Macdonald had marched out with the 11th Soudanese on 
his left, the 2nd Egyptians in the centre, and the 10th Sou- 
danese on the right — all in line ; behind, in column, were the 
9th Soudanese. The last were at once brought up into line 
to face the advancing enemy. Fortunately, the Sheik Ed 
Din’s force was still some little distance away. The bat- 
teries took their place in the openings between the battalions, 
and the Maxim-Nordenfeldts were soon carrying death into 
the advancing foe, while the Martini-Henry with which the 
black and Egyptian troops were armed mowed them down as 
by a scythe. The Soudanese battalions fired, as was their 
custom, individually, as fast as they could load ; the Egyptian 
battalion by steady volleys. Still the enemy pressed on, until 
they were within two hundred yards of the line. The emirs 
and other leaders, Baggara horse and many spearmen, still 
held on until they fell a few feet only from the steady in- 
fantry. The rear ranks of the Dervishes now began to fall 
back, and the desperate charges of their leaders grew feebler; 
but Ed Din’s division was now within a thousand yards. 
Macdonald, confident that the main attack was broken, threw 
back the 9th Soudanese to face it, and wheeled a couple of 
his batteries to support them. 

The already retreating Dervishes, encouraged by the ar- 
rival of Ed Din’s division, returned to the attack. The 11th 
Soudanese swung round to aid the 9th in their struggle with 
Ed Din’s troops. The charges of the Dervishes were impetu- 
ous in the extreme. Begardless of the storm of shell and 
bullets they rushed on, and would have thrust themselves 
between the 9th and 11th had not the 2nd Egyptians, wheel- 
ing at the double, thrown themselves into the gap. The 
Dervishes pressed right up to them, and bayonet and spear 
frequently crossed ; but in a fight of this kind discipline tells 
its tale. The blacks and Egyptians maintained their lines 
steadily and firmly, and against these individual effort and 
courage even of the highest quality were in vain. The 
ground being now cleared, the gun-boats opened with Maxim 


230 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


and cannon upon the rear of the Dervishes. The camel corps 
coming up, each man dismounted and added his fire to the 
turmoil; and finally three of Wauchope’s battalions arrived, 
and the Lincolns, doubling to the right, opened a terrible 
flank fire. The Dervishes broke and fled, not, as usual, sul- 
lenly and reluctantly, but at full speed, stooping low to escape 
the storm of bullets that pursued them. 

Zaki had throughout the day kept close to Gregory, ready 
to hold his horse when he dismounted; but, quick-footed as 
he was, he was left behind when his master galloped across 
to Macdonald. He was up, however, in the course of a min- 
ute or two, and Gregory was glad to see him, for the horse 
was kicking and plunging at the roar of the approaching 
enemy, and was almost maddened when to this was added 
the crash of the batteries and musketry. 

“ Put my blanket round his head, Zaki,” Gregory said when 
the black ran up; “wrap it round so that he cannot see. 
Hold the bridle with one hand and stroke him with the other, 
and keep on talking to him; he knows your voice. I don^t 
want to dismount if I can help it, for with my field-glasses 
I see everything that is taking place, and I will tell you how 
matters are going.” 

For the moment it seemed as if the surging crowd stream- 
ing down must carry all before it, but the steadiness with 
which the 9th Soudanese moved into their place on the flank 
of the line, and the other regiments remained as if on parade, 
soon reassured him. The terrible slaughter that was taking 
place in the ranks of the Dervishes soon showed that in that 
quarter at least there was no fear of things going wrong, but 
he could not but look anxiously towards the great mass of 
men approaching from the north. It was a matter of min- 
utes. Would the present attack be repulsed in time for the 
position to be changed to meet the coming storm? Occasion- 
ally Gregory looked back to see if reinforcements were com- 
ing. Wauchope’s brigade was visible over the tops of the scat- 
tered bushes. The movements of the line showed that they 


OMDUEMAN 


231 


were coming on at the double, but they were farther away 
than Ed Din’s host, and the latter were running like deer. 

He felt a deep sense of relief when the 9th Soudanese were 
thrown back, performing the movement as quietly and stead- 
ily as if on a drill-ground, and two batteries of artillery 
galloped across to their support. He had hardly expected 
such calm courage from the black battalion. As to the 
bravery of the Soudanese troops there was no question. They 
were of the same blood and race as their foes, and had shown 
how bravely they could fight in many a previous battle, but 
he was not prepared for the steady way in which they worked 
under such novel circumstances ; and although they too must 
have known that every moment was of consequence, they 
moved without haste or hurry into the new position, scarcely 
glancing at the torrent which was rushing on towards them. 

Hot less steadily and quietly did the 11th, considered to be 
the crack regiment of the brigade, swing round, and as 
calmly and firmly did the Egyptian battalion — composed of 
the peasants who, but twenty years before, had been consid- 
ered among the most cowardly of people, a host of whom 
would have fled before a dozen of the dreaded Dervishes — 
march into the gap between the two black regiments and 
manfully hold their own. And yet he could not but feel 
sorry for the valiant savages who under so awful a fire still 
pressed forward to certain death, their numbers withering 
away at every step until they dwindled to nothing, only to 
be replaced by a fresh band, which darted forward to meet 
a similar fate; and yet, when he remembered the wholesale 
slaughter at Metemmeh, the annihilation of countless vil- 
lages and of their inhabitants, and, above all, the absolute 
destruction of the army of Hicks Pasha, the capture of Khar- 
toum, the murder of Gordon, and the reduction to a state of 
slavery of all the peaceful tribes of the Soudan, he could 
not but feel that the annihilation of these human tigers and 
the wiping out of their false creed was a necessity. 

When the last shot was fired he dismounted and leant 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


m 

against his horse, completely unnerved by the tremendous 
excitement that had been compressed into the space of half 
an hour. Zaki was in ecstasy at the victory. The ruthless 
massacre of so many of his tribesmen, the ruin of his native 
village, and the murder of his relations was avenged at last. 
The reign of the Dervishes was over; henceforth men could 
till their fields in peace. It was possible that even yet he 
might find his mother and sisters still alive in the city but 
a few miles away, living in wretched existence as slaves of 
their captors. Tears of joy streamed down his cheeks. He 
would have liked to help to revenge the wrongs of his tribe, 
but his master needed him ; and moreover, there was no place 
for an untrained man in the ranks of the Soudanese regi- 
ments. They were doing their work better than he could. 
Still, it was the one bitter drop in his intense joy that he 
had not been able to aid in the conflict. 

He expressed this to Gregory. You have had your share 
in the fight, Zaki, just as I have had. I have not fired a shot, 
but I have been in the battle, and run its risks, and so have 
you. Each of us has done his duty, and we can say for the 
rest of our lives that we have borne our share in the great 
battle that has smashed up the power of the Khalifa and the 
rule of the Dervishes.” 


CHAPTEE XV 

KHARTOUM 

T HEKE was no pause or rest for the troops who had been 
fighting for so many hours in the heat of the African 
sun. It was all-important to occupy Omdurman before the 
remnants of the Khalifa’s army reached it, and as it was 
known that the Khalifa himself had returned there, it was 
hoped that he might be captured. It was ten o’clock when 
Macdonald’s brigade fired their last shot. In half an hour 
the troops went forward again. 


KHARTOUM 


233 


The field presented a terrible appearance, being thickly- 
dotted with dead, from the Surgham Hill across the plain and 
round by the Kerreri Hills to the spot where Macdonald’s 
brigade had made their stand. There were comparatively 
few wounded, for, wiry and hardy as they were, the wounded 
Dervishes, unless mortally hit, were for the most part able 
to crawl or walk away, which they had done unmolested, for 
on each occasion after the bugle sounded cease firing not a 
shot was fired at them. But of dead there were fully ten 
thousand scattered more or less thickly over the plain. 

From the position in which they were placed, the Egyptian 
troops as they marched south passed the spot where the 
Khalifa’s flag was still flying as it had been left after its last 
defenders had fallen. Slatin, who was with the army, rode 
over the plain at the Sirdar’s request to ascertain if any of 
the Dervish leaders were among the fallen. He recognized 
many, but the Khalifa, his son Ed Din, and Osman Digna 
were not among them. The last-named had ever been chary 
of exposing himself, and had probably, as was his custom, 
viewed the battle from a safe distance. But round the flag 
were the Khalifa’s brother Yacoub and ten or twelve of the 
leading emirs. 

On our side the loss had been comparatively slight. Our 
total number of casualties, including the wounded, was five 
hundred and twenty-four, towards which Macdonald’s bri- 
gade contributed one hundred and twenty-eight. Marching 
steadily on, the force halted in the outlying suburb of Om- 
durman at mid-day to obtain much-needed food and water. 
As soon as the cavalry had watered their horses they were sent 
round to the south of the town to cut off fugitives, and some 
of the gun-boats moved up to their support. Deputations of 
the townsfolk, Greeks and natives, came out and offered to 
surrender. They said that the Khalifa was in his house, and 
that he had about a thousand of his body-guard with him, 
but that they could not offer any successful resistance. The 
town was full of fugitive Dervishes ; many thousands of them 
were there — among them a great number of wounded. 


234 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 


At half-past four the Sirdar with his staff entered the 
town accompanied by Maxwell’s Egyptian brigade. Only a 
few shots were fired; the Dervish courage was broken. It 
was to the followers of the Prophet, and not to the infidels, 
that the plains of Kerreri had proved fatal. It was their 
bodies and not those of the white soldiers that were strewn 
there so thickly. The promise of the Khalifa had been falsi- 
fied, the tomb of the Mahdi was crumbling into ruins, the 
bravest of their troops had fallen — what more was there to 
be done ? As Slatin Pasha rode in at the head of the troops 
he was instantly recognized by the people, among whom for 
years he had been a prisoner; and on his assurances that 
mercy would be shown to all if there was no resistance, num- 
bers of the Dervishes came out from their houses and huts 
and laid down their arms. The women flocked out into 
the streets, uttering their long and quavering cries of wel- 
come. To them the entry of the British was a relief from 
a living death, as almost all were captives taken in war or in 
the Dervish raids upon quiet villages. They could scarce 
even yet believe that they were free — that their tyrants were 
slain or fugitives. Intense was the surprise and relief of 
the population when they were told that there would be no 
looting — no harm done to any by the conquerors; that all 
would be free, if they chose, to depart to their homes, and 
to take their few belongings with them. 

The scene in the town was awful, — ^the stench overpower- 
ing ! The Dervishes were absolutely ignorant of all sanitary 
methods, — pools of the foulest slush abounded, and thousands 
of dead animals in all stages of decomposition lay about the 
streets. Among them were numerous dead bodies, princi- 
pally of girls and women who had been killed by their brutal 
husbands or masters to prevent them from falling into the 
hands of the British. There were also many dead Dervishes, 
and others desperately wounded. Strangely enough, the lat- 
ter did not seem to regard their victorious enemy with the 
hate that had been exhibited by many of the wounded in the 


KHARTOUM 236 

field, and some of them half-raised themselves and saluted 
the Sirdar and his staff as they passed along. 

Presently there was a commotion in the crowd. The wall 
of the great granary had been breached by some of the lyd- 
dite shells, and the grain had poured out into the street. The 
natives near ran up to gather it, and finding that they were 
not molested by the British, the news spread rapidly; the 
crowds in the streets melted away, and the inhabitants, for 
the most part half-starved, made a mad rush to the spot, 
where in a short time many thousands of men, women, and 
children were hard at work gathering and carrying off the 
grain. 

In the meantime the Sirdar, with a party of Maxwell’s 
brigade, passed along by the side of the great wall enclosing 
the buildings and square mile of ground in which were the 
Khalifa’s house, the tomb of the Mahdi, the arsenal, store- 
houses, and the homes of the principal emirs. As soon as 
they had turned the corner of the wall, in view of the tomb 
and the Khalifa’s house, a brisk fire was opened by the gar- 
rison. Fortunately the wall was not loopholed, and they had 
to get on the top of it or on to the fiat roofs of the houses 
to fire. Maxwell’s men soon silenced them, and on the troops 
passing in through the breaches and along the wall, most of 
the Dervishes at once surrendered. For a time further ad- 
vance was barred by an inner wall that still intervened be- 
tween them and the Khalifa’s house. 

After the gun-boats’ fire had cleared away a number of the 
Dervishes clustered outside the south wall, the Sirdar and his 
staff entered by a gateway and moved towards the Khalifa’s 
house. This was searched by Slatin Pasha and several offi- 
cers and soldiers, but to the general disappointment it was 
found that the Khalifa had escaped but a short time before, 
carrying with him his treasure, his wives having been sent off 
as soon as he returned from the field of battle. The Mahdi’s 
tomb was a ruin; a large portion of the dome had been 
knocked away, and the falling fragments had smashed the 


236 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

iron railings that surrounded the tomb itself. There was 
nothing more to be done. The pursuit of the Khalifa, 
mounted as he would be on fresh horses, was out of the ques- 
tion. It was already almost dark, and men and horses had 
been at work since before daybreak. The town was in a very 
disturbed state — large numbers of the Dervishes were still 
possessed of their arms, and the greater portion of the troops 
were withdrawn from the pestilential town. Kext morning 
a larger force was marched in, and the work of disarmament 
completed. 

The cavalry went out and scouted the country and brought 
in large numbers of prisoners. The men belonging to the 
tribes that* had renounced Mahdism — Jaalin and others — 
were at once allowed to leave for their homes, and numbers 
of others whose appearance was peaceful, and who had at 
once given up their arms, were also released; but there were 
still no fewer than eleven thousand prisoners, among them 
some of the Khalifats emirs. Many of the townspeople had 
started the previous evening for the field of battle to bury 
the bodies of their friends who had fallen, and to bring in 
the wounded. Of the latter, after our own men had been 
attended to, fully nine thousand received aid and attention 
from the British doctors. 

On the morning after the occupation, the work of purifi- 
cation began. Great numbers of the unwounded prisoners 
and of the townspeople were set to work to clean the streets, 
and in a couple of days the wider thoroughfares and avenues 
had been thoroughly cleansed. Having but little to do, Greg- 
ory went into the Khalifa’s arsenal. This building was full 
of war material of all kinds, including a perfectly appointed 
battery of Krupp guns, numbers of old cannon, modern 
machine-guns, rifles and pistols mixed up with musical in- 
struments, suits of chain armour, steel helmets, hundreds of 
battle flags, and thousands of native spears, swords, and 
shields. Besides these the collection comprised ivory, percus- 
sion-caps, lead, copper, and bronze, looms, pianos, sewing- 


237 


igEiAItTOUM 

machines, boilers, .• s^am-engines, agricultural implements, 
ostrich feathe/s, wooden and iron bedsteads, paints, india- 
rubber, leather water-bottles, clothes, three state-coaches, and 
an American! buggy. There were also a modern smithy, 
where gunpowder, shell, bullets, and cartridge-cases were 
made and stored, and a well-appointed engineers’ shop and 
foundry, with ‘'.several steam-engines, turning-lathes, and 
other tools. The'ipiachinery had been brought from Gordon’s 
arsenal at Khartou^^ where the foreman had been employ ed. ^ 
and the workmen werb.for the most part Greeks. 

The battle was foughb.on Friday, the 2nd of September. 

On Sunday a flotilla of boats containing detachments from 
all the British and Egyptian regiments, and every officer who 
could be spared from duty, proceeded up the river to Khar- 
toum. The ruined and deserted city looked delightful after 
the sand, dirt, and wretchedness of Omdurman. The gardens 
of the governor’s house and other principal buildings had 
run wild, and the green foliage was restful indeed to the eye 
after the waste of sand, rock, and scrub that had been 
traversed by the army on its way from Wady Haifa. The 
vessels drew up opposite a grove of tall palms. Beyond them 
appeared what had been the government house. The upper 
story was gone, the windows were filled up with bricks, and 
a large acacia stood in front of the building. 

The troops formed up before the palace in three sides of a 
square — the Egyptians were to tW left looking from the 
river, and the British to the rigM^the Sirdar and the gen- 
erals of the divisions and brigades facing the centre. Two 
flagstafls had been raised on the upper story. The Sirdar 
gave the signal, and the British and Egyptian flags were run 
up. As they flew out, one of the gun-boats fired a salute, 
the Guards’ band struck up God Save the Queen ! ” and the 
band of the 11th Soudanese then played the Khedive’s hymn, 
while the Generals and all present stood in salute with their 
hands to the peak of their helmets. The Sirdar’s call for 
three cheers for the Queen was enthusiastically responded to, 
every helmet being raised. Similar cheers were then given 


238 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

for the Khedive, the bands again struck up, and twenty-one 
^uns were fired. As the last gun echoed out, the Guards 
played the Dead March in “ Saul,” and the black band the 
inarch called “ Toll for the Brave,” the latter in memory of 
the Khedive’s subjects who had died with Gordon. Then 
minute-guns were fired, and four chaplains — Anglican, Pres- 
byterian, Methodist, and Catholic — by turns read a psalm or 
a prayer. The pipers then wailed a dirge, and finally the 
Soudanese bands played Gordon’s favourite hymn, Abide 
with me.” 

At the conclusion General Hunter and the other officers 
shook hands with the Sirdar one by one. Kitchener himself 
was deeply. moved, and well he might be! Fourteen years of 
his life had been spent in preparing for and carrying out 
this campaign, and now the great task was done. Gordon 
was avenged ; of the Dervish host the remnant were scattered 
fugitives. The Mahdi’s cause, the foulest and most blood- 
stained tyranny that had ever existed, transforming as it did 
a flourishing province into an almost uninh*feited desert, was 
crushed for ever; and it was his patient and unsparing labour, 
his wonderful organization, that had been the main factor 
in the work. No wonder that even the Iron Sirdar almost 
broke down at such a moment. 

The bugles sounded, and the troops broke up their forma- 
tion, and for half an hour wandered through the empty cham- 
bers of the palace and the wild and beautiful garden. An- 
other bugle call, and they streamed down to the water’s edge, 
took to the boats, and returned to Omdurman. 

The long-delayed duty which England owed to one of her 
noblest sons had been done: Gordon had had his burial. 
None knew where his bones reposed, but that mattered little. 
In the place where he was slain all honour had been done to 
him, and the British flag waved over the spot where he dis- 
appeared for ever from the sight of his countrymen. 

On Gregory’s return he found Zaki in a state of the highest 
excitement. 


KHARTOUM 


230 


“ Why, what is the matter with you, Zaki ? ” 

“ Oh, master, I have found my two sisters ! ” 

“ That is good news indeed. I am very glad to hear it, 
Zaki. How did you find them?” 

“While you were away, master, I had been walking 
through the town, and w^hen I was passing near the outskirts 
a woman came to a door and looked very hard at me. Then 
she suddenly drew aside the cloth from her face and cried, 
^ Surely it is Zaki ! ’ Then I knew her — she w^as my elder 
sister. Then another woman came to the door — it w^as my 
younger sister, and you can imagine my joy. Both had been 
married to Baggaras who had carried them off. Their hus- 
bands had gone to the battle and had not returned, and some 
neighbours who had gone to the battle-field next day brought 
back news that they had found both bodies, so one sister came 
to stay with the other. People had told them that it was 
safe to go out, and that no one was injured who did so; but 
they had a store of grain in the house, and they decided to 
wait and see what happened. One of them, seeing me come 
along, and observing that I belonged to the Jaalin, came out 
to ask me the news, and they were as delighted as I was at 
our meeting.” 

“ And your mother, do they know anything of her ? ” 

“ She was killed, master,” Zaki said sorrowfully. “ I 
thought possibly it would be so. The Dervishes did not 
carry off old women ; they killed them and the little children. 
I had never hoped to see her again, but I did think when we 
entered Omdurman that my sisters might be here.” 

“ What are they going to do ? ” 

“ They will go down to Berber. I have told them that 
many of the people here are going down, and that they will 
find no difficulty in joining a party. They are sure to find 
people they know at Berber, for most of the Jaalin who have 
escaped have gone there since we occupied the place. I told 
them that I would give them what money I had, for since I 
have been in my lord’s service I have had no occasion to spend 
aught that he has paid me.” 


24 : 0 “ WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

I have no doubt, Zaki, that I can arrange for them to go 
down in one of the empty store-boats. I believe that many 
of the captives who have been released will be sent down that 
way, and of course I shall be glad to give your sisters enough 
to keep them for some time at Berber.” 

“ My lord is too good,” Zaki said gratefully. 

“Nonsense, Zaki! You saved my life, and I owe you a 
great deal. I will go down at once to the river — that is, if 
your sisters are ready to start to-morrow, — and I have no 
doubt the transport officer will give me an order for them to 
go in one of the boats.” 

As he had expected, he had no difficulty in making arrange- 
ments. Several of the native boats that had already landed 
their stores would leave on the following day, and Gregory 
obtained an order for the passage of the two women. He 
then drew some money from the paymaster, and on his return 
to head-quarters gave Zaki a hundred dollars for his sisters. 
The black was overpowered with joy, and, going off, returned 
with the two girls — for they were little more. Each took 
one of Gregory’s hands and pressed it to her forehead and 
heart, and murmured her thanks. 

Do not thank me,” he said ; it is but a small part of the 
debt that I owe your brother. I do not know whether he 
has told you that he saved my life at the risk of his own.” 

“ I have been thinking, my lord,” Zaki said, “ that it would 
be well for them to go down in the boat as far as Dongola. 
Our village is not many miles from that place, and many of 
our people fled there, and doubtless they will return to their 
villages and plant their fields now that they have no longer 
any fear of the Dervishes. At any rate they are certain to 
meet friends at Dongola.” 

“Very well, I will get the order altered; there will be no 
difficulty about that. I shall be very glad to know that you 
will have a home to go to when this war is quite over.” 

“ I shall never go as long as my lord will keep me,” Zaki 
said fervently. 


KHARTOUM 


24i 


“ I certainly shall not part with you, Zaki, as long as I 
remain in this country, which will probably be for a long 
time.’^ 

The next day Zaki aided in carrying his sisters’ goods down 
to the river bank, and saw them on board one of the native 
craft, which carried also fifteen or twenty other fugitives. 

“Now, Mr. Hilliard,” General Hunter said that morning, 
“ you can devote yourself to the object for which you came 
here. Unquestionably there must be many among the pris- 
oners who fought at El Obeid. You may gather all particu- 
lars of the battle from their lips. The greater portion of the 
white troops will march down the country at once. Of course 
I don’t know what your plans may be, but unless you have 
a very good reason to the contrary I should certainly advise 
you to retain your position in the Egyptian army. A great 
deal of work will have to be done before matters are quite 
settled down, and then civil administration of some sort will 
of course be formed, under which you would certainly obtain 
a far better post than you could hope to get at home.” 

“ I have quite made up my mind to do so, sir. Certainly 
when I left Cairo I had no idea of remaining permanently 
in the service; but I have been so exceptionally fortunate, 
owing largely to your kindness, that I have been seriously 
thinking the matter over, and am quite determined that if 
I can obtain an appointment I will remain here. I have no 
ties whatever either in Lower Egypt or in England, no way 
of earning my living there, and possibly, as I have begun so 
early, I may rest in time in what will no doubt become an 
important branch of the Egyptian administration.” 

“ I am glad to hear that you take that view. We all grum- 
ble at the Soudan, and yet there are few of us but would 
be sorry to leave it ; and there can be no doubt whatever that, 
under our administration, it will in time become a magnifi- 
cently rich and fertile province.” 

Being relieved from other duty at present, Gregory went 
to the great yard near the mosque, called the Praying Square, 


242 


WITH KITCHENEK IN' THE SOUDAN 


where the majority of the Dervish prisoners were confined. 
Addressing a man of some five-and-forty years, he asked him 
in Arabic whether many among the prisoners had fought 
against Hicks at El Obeid. 

The man hesitated. 

“ I am not asking on the part of the Sirdar,” Gregory said ; 
‘^and you may be sure that if no punishment is inflicted 
against those who have fought against us now, there can be 
no thought of punishment for a thing that happened so many 
years ago. My father was, I believe, one of the English 
officers killed there; but as he spoke Arabic well it is just 
possible he was not killed, but, like Slatin and Heufeld, was 
kept as a slave, in case he might be useful.” 

“ There are many here who fought against Hicks,” the 
native said. “I myself fought there, and nearly all the 
Baggara who are as old as I am were there also. I have 
never heard of a white man who escaped death. When we 
broke into the square the English General and his officers 
charged into the middle of us, and all fell. I was not close 
at the time, but I saw their bodies an hour afterwards.” 

“ My father was not a fighting officer ; he was the inter- 
preter, and may not have been near the others. When the 
attack by your people was made, I have heard that one of the 
Soudanese regiments held together and marched away, and 
that there was a white officer with them.” 

That was so. Two days afterwards we surrounded them. 
They fought hard, and at last, when we had lost many men, 
we offered that if they would surrender and become the 
Mahdi’s men they would be spared. Most of them did so, 
just as some of our tribesmen taken by you at Atbara have 
now taken service with you.” 

But the white officer — ^what became of him ? ” 

“T cannot say,” the native said. “I have no memory of 
him. He may have fallen before they surrendered — who can 
say? Certainly I do not remember a white man being killed 
after they did so. I will ask others who were there, and 
to-morrow will tell you what they say.” 


KHARTOUM 


243 


It was a busy day in Omdurman. The army that had 
made such efforts and achieved so great a triumph marched 
in military order, with bands playing, through the town. 
The Sirdar had a double motive in ordering them to do so. 
In the first place, it was a legitimate triumph of the troops 
thus to march as conquerors through the town ; in the second 
place, the sight would impress not only the inhabitants but 
the Dervish prisoners with a sense of the power of those who 
henceforth would be their masters, and undoubtedly the show 
had the desired effect. The orderly ranks as they swept along, 
the proud demeanour of the men, their physique and equip- 
ment, created a profound impression among the natives. 
Half of them were their own kinsmen, many of whom had 
fought for the Khalifa and had now aided in defeating him. 
This was what had been accomplished by drill and discipline, 
and the infiuence of white officers. The Soudanese were evi- 
dently well fed and cared for ; not even the haughty Baggara 
held their heads so high. 

Especially admired were the artillery, battery following 
battery in perfect order. These were the guns that had car- 
ried death into the ranks of the Dervishes, against whose 
fire even the fanatical bravery of the followers of the Khalifa 
was unable to stand. When the march past was concluded 
there was scarce one of the prisoners who would not gladly 
have enlisted. On the following day Gregory again went to 
the Praying Square. The man he had the morning before 
seen, at once came up to him. 

I have enquired of many who were at El Obeid, my lord,” 
he said. “ All say that there was no white man in the camp 
when the hlack battalion surrendered, though one had been 
seen while the fighting was going on ; nor was the body of one 
found where the fight had taken place on the previous day. 
It was a matter of talk among the Dervishes at the time, for 
they had lain in a circle round the enemy, and were convinced 
that no one passed through their lines. Those who surren- 
dered said that he had taken the command, and had exposed 


244 WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 

himself to the hottest fire and encouraged them, telling them 
that the more bravely they defended themselves the more 
likely they were to obtain favourable terms. The night be- 
fore, he had advised them to accept any offer the Dervishes 
might make, but on the following morning he was missing, 
and none could give any account of what had become of him. 
The same tale is told by all to whom I have spoken.” 

The story made a profound impression upon Gregory. It 
seemed possible that the father of whom he had no remem- 
brance might have been the sole white survivor of Hicks’s 
army. True, there was nothing to prove that he was the 
white man who had joined the black battalion that escaped 
the first day’s massacre. There were other non-combatants, 
Vizitelly, the artist of the Illustrated London News, and 
O’Donovan, the correspondent of the Daily News. Either of 
these might also have been at any other portion of the square 
when the attack commenced, and unable to join Hicks and 
his ofiicers in their final charge into the midst of the enemy. 
Still, it was at least possible that his father was the man 
who had retired from the field with the black battalion, and 
who had afterwards so strangely disappeared. If so, what 
had become of him all these years ? Had he made off in dis- 
guise only to be murdered by wandering bands ? Had he been 
concealed for months in the hut of a friendly tribesman? 
What had he been doing since ? Had he been killed in trying 
to make his way down? Had he been enslaved, and was he 
still lingering on in a wretched existence? He could hardly 
hope that he had fallen into friendly hands, for had he been 
alive he would surdy have managed, with his knowledge of 
the country, to make his way down, or to reach Khartoum 
when it was still held by the Egyptians. 

At any rate Gregory concluded that he might find out 
whether any European had arrived there during the siege. 
He went down to the river and took a native boat across to 
Khartoum. At the ceremony on Sunday many natives 
watched the arrival of the flotilla, and some of these might 


KHARTOUM 


245 


have been there in Gordon’s time. He had no great hopes 
of it, but there was just a chance. The flags were still flying 
over the governor’s house when he landed, and a detachment 
of Egyptian troops was stationed there. A native officer 
came down when he landed. 

I have come across to question some of the natives,” he 
said. “ I believe some are still living here.” 

Oh, yes, Bimbashi ! there are a good many scattered about 
among the ruins; they come in bringing fruit and flsh for 
sale. I think they mostly live down by the river-side.” 

Gregory kept on till he came to the huts occupied by the 
fishermen and men who cultivated small plots of ground. He 
found several who had lived at Khartoum when it was cap- 
tured, and who had escaped the general massacre by hiding 
till nightfall and then making their way up the river in 
boats. Hone of them could give him the information he 
sought, but one suggested that he was more likely to hear 
from the Greeks and Turks who worked in the Khalifa’s 
arsenal and foundries, as they had been spared for the services 
they would be able to render to the Mahdi. Ketuming to 
Omdurman he went to the machine-shop. Here work had 
already been resumed, as repairs were needed by several of the 
gun-boats. He went up to the foreman, a man of some sixty 
years of age. 

“You were engaged in the city during the siege, were you 
not ? ” he said in Arabic, with which he knew the foreman 
must be thoroughly acquainted. 

“ Yes, sir, I had been here ten years before that.” 

“ I am very anxious to learn whether any white man who 
had survived the battle of El Obeid ever reached this town 
before its capture.” 

The man thought for some time. “ Yes,” he said, “ a 
white man certainly came here towards the end of the siege. 
I know, because I happened to meet him when I was going 
home from work, and he asked me the way to the governor’s. 
I should not have known him to be a white man, for he had 


246 


WITH KITCHEHEK IN THE SOUDAN 


a native attire and was as black from exposure to the sun 
as any of the Arabs. I gave him directions, and did not ask 
him any questions; but it was said afterwards that he was 
one of Hicks’s officers. Later, I heard that he went down 
in the steamer with Colonel Stewart.” 

“You did not hear his name?” Gregory asked anxiously. 

“ No, sir.” 

“ Hid he talk Arabic well ? ” 

“ Extremely well ; much better than I did at the time.” 

“ Do you remember how long he arrived before the steamer 
started ? ” 

“Not very long, sir, though I really cannot tell you how 
long it was.” 

“ After you were cut off, I suppose ? ” 

“ Certainly it was, but I cannot say how long.” 

“No one else here would know more about it than you 
do?” 

“No, sir; I should think not. But you can ask them.” 

He called up some of the other workmen. All knew that 
a white officer of Hicks Pasha’s army was said to have re- 
turned. One of them remembered that he had come down 
once with Gordon to see about some repairs required to the 
engines of a steamer, but he had never heard his name, nor 
could he recall his personal appearance, except that he seemed 
to be a man about thirty. But he remembered once seeing 
him again on board Stewart’s steamer, as they had been work- 
ing at her engines just before she started. 

After thanking the foreman Gregory returned to the hut 
where he and two other officers of Hunter’s staff had taken 
up their quarters. He was profoundly depressed. This 
white man might well have been his father; but if so, it was 
even more certain than before that he had fallen. He knew 
what had been the fate of Stewart’s steamer, the remains of 
which he had seen at Hebbeh. The Colonel and all with him 
had accepted the invitation of the treacherous sheik of that 
village, and had been massacred. He would at least go there. 


KHAETOUM 


247 


and endeavour to learn from some of the natives the particu- 
lars of the fate of those on board, and whether it was possible 
that any of the whites could have escaped. After sitting 
for some time in thought he went to General Hunter’s quar- 
ters and asked to see him. 

The General listened sympathetically to his story. ‘‘I 
never for a moment thought that your father could have 
escaped,” he said, “ but from what you tell me it is possible 
that he did so, only to perish afterwards. But I can well 
understand how, having learnt so much, you should be anx- 
ious to hear more. Certainly I will grant your request for 
leave to go down to Hebbeh. As you know, that place was 
taken and destroyed by the river column under Earle, or 
rather under Brackenbury, for Earle had been killed in the 
fight at Kirbekan. Numerous relics were found of the mas- 
sacre, but the journal Stewart was known to have kept was 
not among them. Had it been there it would no doubt have 
mentioned the survivor of Hicks’s army who was coming 
down the river with him. The place was deserted when 
Brackenbury arrived ; it certainly was so when we came up. 
Since then some of the inhabitants have probably returned, 
and may know of places where plunder was hidden away on 
the approach of Brackenbury’s column. No doubt the offer 
of a reward would lead to their production. 

“You may not have to be absent long; the British regi- 
ments are to go down at once, and several steamers will start 
to-morrow. I will give you an order to go with them. You 
will have no difficulty in getting back, for the Sirdar has 
already decided that the railway is to be carried on at once 
from Atbara to Khartoum, and has, I believe, telegraphed 
this morning that material and stores are to be sent up at 
once. Most of these will, no doubt, be brought on by rail, 
but grain, of which large quantities will be required for the 
use of our troops and of the population of the town, will 
come on by water. But no doubt your quickest way back 
will be to ride to Abu Hamed and take the train up to 
Atbara.” 


248 WITH KITCHENEE IN' THE SOUDAN' 

“I will be back as soon as I can, General. I am much 
obliged to you for letting me go.” 

“I will tell the Sirdar that I have given you leave, and 
why. It is not absolutely necessary, but it is always well 
that one’s name should be kept to the front.” 

The next day Gregory saw the General again. “I men- 
tioned to the Sirdar that you wanted a fortnight’s leave, and 
told him why. He simply nodded and said, ‘ Let him have 
a month if he wants it.’ He had other things to think of, 
for this morning a small Dervish steamer came down the 
White Nile. They had the Khalifa’s flag flying, and had not 
heard of what had taken place till one of the gun-boats ran 
alongside her. Of course she surrendered at once. It is a 
curious story they told. They left Omdurman a month ago 
with the Sapphire, which carried flve hundred men. The ob- 
ject of the voyage was to collect grain. When they reached 
the old station of Fashoda they had been flred upon by black 
troops, with some white men among them, who had a strange 
flag flying. The firing was pretty accurate, for they had 
forty men killed and wounded, and the emir in command had 
disembarked and encamped his troops from the Sapphire on 
the opposite bank, and had sent the small steamer back to ask 
the Khalifa for orders. 

The story seemed so strange and improbable that I went 
down with the Sirdar to the boat, which had been brought 
alongside. There was no doubt that it had been peppered 
with balls. Some of the General’s staff cut one of the bullets 
out of the wood-work, and these fully confirmed the story. 
They were not leaden balls or bits of old iron, but conical 
nickel bullets. They could only have been fired from small- 
bore rifles, so there were certainly white men at Fashoda. Of 
course no one can form any opinion as to who they are, or 
where they come from. They may be Belgians from the 
Congo ; they may— but that is most improbable— be an expe- 
ditionary party of Italians. But Italy is withdrawing and 
not pushing forward, so I think it is out of the question that 
they are concerned in the matter. 


A VOICE FKOM THE DEAD 


249 


The question seems to lie between Belgians and French, 
unless an expedition has been sent up from our possessions 
on the great lakes. The Dervishes in the steamer can only- 
say that the flag is not at all like ours ; but as their ignorance 
of colour is profound, they give all sorts of contradictory 
statements. Anyhow, it is a serious matter. Certainly no 
foreign power has any right to send an expedition to the 
Nile; and as certainly, if one of them did so, our government 
would not allow them to remain there, for beyond all ques- 
tion Fashoda is an Egyptian station and within Egyptian 
territory, which is at present as much as to say that a foreign 
power established there would be occupying our country.” 

It seems an extraordinary proceeding, sir.” 

“ Very extraordinary. If it were not that it seems the 
thing has absolutely been done, it would seem improbable 
that any foreign power could take such an extraordinary and 
unjustiflable course. It is lucky for them, whoever they are, 
that we have smashed up the Dervishes, for they would have 
made very short work of them, and the nation that sent them 
would probably never have known their fate.” 


CHAPTER XYI 

A VOICE FROM THE DEAD 

T hat afternoon Gregory heard that orders had been 
issued for five of the gun-boats \p start up the river the 
first thing in the morning, that the Sirdar himself was going, 
and was to take up fite hundred men of the 11th Soudanese. 
An order was also issulpd that all correspondents were to leave 
the next day for Cairi. Gregory had met one of them that 
evening. 

“ So you are all off,ll hear, Mr. Pearson ? ” 

“Yes; we did have k sort of option given us, but it was 
really no choice at all. We might go down instantly, or we 


250 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

must Stay till the last of the white troops had gone down. 
That may be a very long time, as there is no saying what may 
come of this Fashoda business. Besides, the Khalifa has 
fairly escaped, and if out of the sixty thousand men with 
him some thirty thousand got ofi, they may yet rally round 
him, and in another two or three months he may be at the 
head of as large a force as ever. I don’t think, after the 
way the Egyptians fought the other day, there will be any 
need for white troops to back them. Still, it is likely that 
a battalion or two may be left. However, we had practically 
to choose between going at once or waiting at least a month, 
and you may be sure that the censorship would be put on 
with a round turn, and that we should not be allowed to say 
a word of the Fashoda business, which would be the only 
thing worth telegraphing about. So we have all voted for 
going. 

“ Of course we understand that this pressure has been put 
upon us on account of this curious affair at Fashoda. For- 
tunately none of us are sorry to be off. There is certain to 
be a pause now for some time, and one does not want to be 
kicking one’s heels about in this ghastly town; and though 
it is rather sharp and peremptory work, I cannot say that I 
think the Sirdar is wrong. Whoever these men may be, they 
must go, that is certain ; but of course it will be a somewhat 
delicate business, and France — that is, if they are Frenchmen 
who are there — is sure to be immensely s<)re over the business, 
and it is certainly very desirable that nothing should be writ- 
ten from here that could increase that feeling. I have no 
doubt the Sirdar telegraphed home for instructions as soon 
as he got the news of the affair, and I imagine that his going 
up in the morning with five gun-boats is proof that he has 
already received instructions of some sort. I hope this force 
is not French. The feeling against us is tremendously strong 
in France, and they certainly will not like backing down; 
but they will have to do that or figbt, and with all their big 


A VOICE FROM THE DEAD 


251 


pecially as, though their occupation of Fashoda would be 
an immense annoyance to us, it would be of no possible 
utility to them. 

“By the way, we have all got to sell our horses. There 
is no possibility of taking them down, and it is a question 
of giving them away rather than of selling, for of course the 
officers of the British regiments do not want to buy. I have 
a horse for which I gave twenty-five pounds at Cairo. You 
are welcome to him. You can give me a couple of pounds 
for the saddle and things.” 

“ I am very much obliged to you, but it would be robbery.” 

“ !N’ot at all. If you won’t take him, I shall have him shot 
to-night. A horse could not possibly pick up food here, and 
would die of starvation without a master; and it would be 
still more cruel to give him to a native, for they are brutal 
horse-masters.” 

“Well, in that case I shall be glad indeed to have him, 
and I am extremely obliged to you.” 

“ That is right. If you will send your man round I will 
hand it over to him.” 

“ As you are going to-morrow, it is likely that I shall go 
with you, for I am going down also as far as Abu Hamed 
for ten days.” 

“ That will be pleasant, though I do not know that it will 
be so for you, for I own the majority of us are rather sour- 
tempered at present. Though we may be glad enough to go, 
one does not care to be sent off at a moment’s notice, just as 
fractious children are turned out of a room when their elders 
want a private chat. However, for myself I am not inclined 
to grumble. I want to go, and therefore I do not stand on 
the order of going.” 

Later, General Hunter gave Gregory an order for a passage 
in a steamer on which the correspondents of the various news- 
papers were going down. 

“What shall we take, master?” Zaki asked. 

“ Just the clothes we stand in, Zaki. I have got a couple 


252 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

of the Dervish Remingtons and several packets of ammuni- 
tion. I will take them, and I can get four more. We will 
take them all down, as we know the people about Hebbeh are 
not disposed to be friendly. I don’t suppose for a minute 
that they are likely to show any hostile feeling, for you may 
be sure that the fall of Omdurman has spread by this time 
over the whole land, and they will be on their best behaviour. 
Still, it is just as well to be able to defend ourselves, and 
I shall engage four men at Abu Hamed to go with us. I 
shall leave all my kit here.” 

It was a pleasant run down the river to Atbara. The 
correspondents were all heartily glad to be on their way home, 
and the irritation they had at first felt at being so suddenly 
ordered away at the moment when so unexpected and interest- 
ing a development occurred, had subsided. They had wit- 
nessed one of the most interesting battles ever fought, had 
seen the overthrow of the Mahdi, and were looking forward 
to European comforts and luxuries again. At Atbara all 
left the steamer, which was to take in stores and go up again 
at once, and proceeded by a military train with the first of 
the returned Europ’ean regiments. At Abu Hamed Gregory 
left them. 

His first enquiry was whether any boats were going down 
the river. He learned that several native craft were leaving, 
and at once engaged a passage in one of them to Hebbeh. i 
He had no difficulty whatever in engaging four sturdy Arabs 
from among those who were listlessly hanging round the lit- 
tle station. While he was doing this Zaki bought food for 
six men for a week, and in less than two hours from his 
arrival at Abu Hamed Gregory was on board. The boat at 
once dropped down the river, and as the current was running 
strongly, they were off Hebbeh next morning at eight o’clock. ; 
A boat put off, and took Gregory and his party ashore. As 
they were seen to land, the village sheik at once came down , 
to them. I 

Is there anything I can do for my lord ? ” he asked. 


A VOICE FKOM THE DEAD 


2-53 


“ Yes ; I have come here to ascertain whether arny of those 
who were present at the attack upon the party who landed 
from the steamer over there, are still living here. There is 
I no question of punishment. On the contrary, I have come 
here to obtain information as to some private matters, and 
I anyone who can give me that information will be well re- 
I warded.” 

i There are but three men alive who were here at the time, 

I my lord ; there were more, but they fled when the boats with 
the white troops came up from Merawi. I believe they went 
I to the Dervish camp at Metemmeh. The three here are quiet 
i and respectable men. They were asked many questions, and 
guided the white ofiicers to the place where Wad Etman stood 
' — it was there that those who landed from the steamer first 

rested, — and to the place where the great house of Suleiman 
Wad Gamr, Emir of Salamat, stood. It was there that the 
much-to-be-regretted attack on the white men was made. 
When the white army came up six months afterwards, they 
blew up the house and cut down all the palm-trees in the 
village.” 

“ I was with the force that came up from Merawi last year. 
Will you bring me the three men you speak of? I would 
question them one by one. Assure them that they need not 
be afraid of answering truthfully, even if they themselves 
were concerned in the attack upon the white officers and the 
crew of the steamer, for no steps will be taken against them. 
It is eighteen years since then, and no doubt their houses 
were destroyed and their groves cut down when the British 
column came here and found the place deserted. I am ready 
to reward them if I obtain the information I require from 
them.” 

The three men were presently brought to the spot where 
Gregory had seated himself in the shade of one of the huts. 
Zaki stood beside him, and the four armed men took post a 
short distance away. The first called up was a very old man. 
In reply to Gregory’s questions he said ; “ I was already old 


254 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


when the steam-boat ran ashore. I took no hand in the busi- 
ness; the white men had done me no harm, while the fol- 
lowers of the Mahdi had killed many of my family and 
friends. I heard what was going to be done, and I stayed in 
my house. I call upon Allah to witness that what I say is 
true ! ” 

“ Do you know if any remains of that expedition are still 
in existence ? ” 

“No, my lord. When the white troops came here some 
months afterwards I fled, as all here did; but I know that 
before they destroyed Wad Gamr’s house they took away 
some boxes of papers that had been brought ashore from the 
ship, and were still in the house. I know of nothing else. 
The clothes of the men on board the steam-boat were divided 
among those who took part in the attack, but there was little 
booty.” 

Gregory knew that at Wad Gamr’s house but few signs of 
the tragedy had been found when General Brackenbury’s 
troops entered. Blood-stained visiting-cards of Stewart’s, a 
few scraps of paper, and a fleld-glass had alone been discov- 
ered besides the boxes of papers. 

The next man who came up said that he had been with the 
party who fell upon the engineers and crew of the boat by 
the river-side. “ I was ordered to kill them,” he said. “ Had 
I not done so I should have been killed myself.” 

“ Do you know whether any booty was hidden away before 
the English came ? ” 

“No, my lord, there was no booty taken; no money was 
found on board the steamer. We stripped her of the brass- 
work and took the wood ashore to burn. The sheik gave 
us a dollar and a half a man for what we had done. There 
may have been some money found on the ship, but as his own 
men were on board first and took all that they thought of 
value I have naught to say about it.” 

“ And you never heard of anything being hidden before 
the British troops arrived ? ” 


A VOICE FKOM THE DEAD 


255 


The Arab shook his head. “ No, my lord, but there may 
have been, though I never heard of it. I went and fought 
at Kirbekan, and when we were beaten I fled at once to Ber- 
ber, and remained there until the white troops had all gone 
down the country.” 

“ I may want to question you again to-morrow,” Gregory 
j said. “ Here are two dollars. I shall give you as much more 
if I want you again.” 

1 The third man was then called up. He was evidently in 
fear. “ Do not be afraid to answer me truly,” Gregory said. 
“ If you do so, no harm will come to you, whatever share 
you may have had in the affair; but if you answer falsely 
, and the truth is afterwards discovered, you will be punished. 

I Now, where were you when this business took place?” 
i “We were all ordered by Wad Gamr to gather near his 
house, and when the signal was given we were to run in and 
kill the white men. We saw them go up to the house. They 
had been told to leave their arms behind them; one of the 
' sheik’s servants came out and waved his arms, and we ran in 
and killed them.” 

! “ What happened then ? ” 

j “We carried the bodies outside the house. Then we took 
: what money was found in their pockets, with watches and 
I other things, in to the sheik, and he paid us a dollar and a 
I half a head, and said that we could have their clothes. For 
i my share I had a jacket belonging to one of them.^ When 
f I got it home I found that there was a pocket inside, and 
in it was a book partly written on, and many other bits of 
paper.” 

“ And what became of that? ” Gregory asked eagerly. 

I “I threw it into a corner, it was of no use to me. But 
when the white troops came up in the boats and beat us at 
Kirbekan I came straight home and, seeing the pocket-book, 
took it and hid it under a rock, for I thought that when the 
white troops got here they would find it, and that they might 
then destroy the house and cut down my trees. Then I went 
away, and did not come back until they had all gone. 


256 


WITH KITCHENEE IN THE SOUDAN 


And where is the pocket-book now ? ” 

“ It may be under the rock where I hid it, my lord. I have 
never thought of it since; it was rubbish.” 

Can you take me to the place ? ” 

“ I think so ; it was not far from my house. I pushed it 
under the first great rock I came to, for I was in haste and 
wanted to be away before the white soldiers on camels could 
get here.” . 

“ Did you hear of any other things being hidden ? ” 

No ; I think everything was given up. If this thing had 
been of value I should perhaps have told the sheik, but as 
it was only written papers and of no use to anyone, I did 
not trouble to do so.” 

“ Well, let us go at once,” Gregory said, rising to his feet. 
“ Although of no use to you, these papers may be of im- 
portance.” 

Followed by Zaki and the four men, Gregory went to the 
peasant’s house, which stood a quarter of a mile away. 

“ This is not the house I lived in then,” the man said. 

The white troops destroyed every house in the village, but 
when they had gone I built another on the same spot.” 

The hill rose steeply behind it. The peasant went on till 
he stopped at a large boulder. This was the rock,” he said, 

where I thrust it under as far as my arm would reach. I 
pushed it in on the upper side.” The man lay down. “It 
was just about here,” he said. “It is here, my lord; I can 
just feel it, but I cannot get it out. I pushed it in as far as 
the tips of my fingers could reach it.” 

“Well, go down and cut a couple of sticks three or four 
feet long.” In ten minutes the man returned with them. 
“Now take one of them, and when you feel the book push 
the stick along its side until it is well beyond it. Then you 
ought to be able to scrape it out. If you cannot do so, we 
shall have to roll the stone over. It is a big rock, but with 
two or three poles one ought to be able to turn it over.” 

After several attempts, however, the man produced the 


A VOICE FROM THE DEAD 


257 


I packet. Gregory opened it with trembling hands. It con- 
tained, as the man had said, a large number of loose sheets, 
i evidently torn from a pocket-book and all covered with close 
!j writing. He opened the book that accompanied them. It 
f was written in ink, and the first few words sufficed to tell him 
i that his search was over. It began: “Khartoum. Thank 
I God, after two years of suffering and misery since the fatal 
i day at El Obeid, I am once again amongst friends. It is true 
that I am still in peril, for the position here is desperate. 

! Still, the army that is coming up to our help may be here 
ji in time ; and even if they should not do so this may be found 
when they come, and will be given to my dear wife at Cairo 
if she is still there. Her name is Mrs. Hilliard, and her ad- 
I dress will surely be known at the Bank.” 
j “ These are the papers I was looking for,” he said to Zaki ; 
I ‘^I will tell you about them afterwards.” 

[ He handed ten dollars to the native, thrust the packet into 
his breast-pocket, and walked slowly down to the river. He 
j had never entertained any hope of finding his father, but this 
I evidence of his death gave him a shock. His mother was 
I right, then; she had always insisted there was a possibility 
I that he might have escaped the massacre at El Obeid. He 
I had done so; he had reached Khartoum, he had started full 
i of hope of seeing his wife and child, but had been treacher- 
S ously massacred here. He would not now read this message 
f from the grave, that must be reserved for some time when he 
was alone. He knew enough to be able to guess the details — 
they could not be otherwise than painful. He felt almost 
' glad that his mother was not alive. To him the loss was 
' scarcely a real one. His father had left him when an infant. 

I Although his mother had so often spoken of him he had 
I scarcely been a reality to Gregory, for when he became old 
' enough to comprehend the matter it seemed to him certain 
I that his father must have been killed. He could then hardly 
understand how his mother could cling to hope. His father 
had been more a real character to him since he started from 
Cairp than ever before. 


258 


WITH KITCHENEE IN THE SOUDAN 


He knew the desert now and its fierce inhabitants. He 
could picture the battle, and since the fight at Omdurman 
he had been able to see before him the wild rush on the Egyp- 
tian square, the mad confusion, the charge of a handful of 
white officers, and the one white man going off with the black 
battalion that held together. If, then, it was a shock to 
him to know how his father had died, how vastly greater 
would it have been to his mother ! She had pictured him as 
dying suddenly, fighting to the last and scarce bonscious of 
pain till he received a fatal wound. She had said to Gregory 
that it was better to think of his father as having died thus 
than lingering in hopeless slavery like Heufeld ; but it would 
have been agony to her to know that he did suffer for two 
years, that he had then struggled on through all dangers to 
Khartoum, and was on his way back full of hope and love 
for her when he was treacherously murdered. 

The village sheik met him as he went down. 

^^You have found nothing, my lord?’’ 

Nothing but a few old papers,” he said. 

“You will report well of us, I hope, to the great English 
commander ? ” 

“ I shall certainly tell him that you did all in your power 
to aid me.” ' 

He walked down towards the river. One of the men who 
had gone on while he had been speaking to the sheik, ran 
back to meet him. 

“ There is a steamer coming up the river, my lord.” 

“ That is fortunate indeed,” Gregory exclaimed. “ I had 
intended to sleep here to-night, and to bargain with the sheik 
for donkeys or camels to take us back. This will save two 
days.” 

Two or three native craft were fastened up to the shore 5 
waiting for a breeze to set in strong enough to take them up. 
Gregory at once arranged with one of them to put his party 
on board the steamer in their boat. In a quarter of an hour 
the gun-boat approached, and they rowed out to meet her. 



GREGOIIY FINDS IIIS FATIIEJl’S PAPERS 


I 


t 

• # 


<r 





» »• 






t 


. i 


• I. 

^ .T'j 


*^.*o ** 


1 I 




.r 


I 


i 


« 





« 

T' 

> * 

!► 

' • ». 


< 











< » 

4 





f 


# 




*• ' 



.• 


« 



'* • 


• - ' 


t 

i 





i 





• • 


4 


I 



* 




f 


• 

« 

r> 


« 


( 







I 


I 


4 




I 


A. 


♦ r 


♦ 


I 


f 


f 

< 

j 

1 


f 


« . 






< » 


V 


I 

• • 'tn 


\ • 

A0 

X 


X 


% 


■ 


I 


M 


A VOICE FEOM THE DEAD 


259 


j As she came up Gregory stood up and shouted to them to 
throw him a rope. This was done, and an officer came to the 
side. 

“ I want a passage for myself and five men to Abu Hamed. 
I I am an officer on General Hunter’s staff.” 

1 “ With pleasure. Have you come down from the front ? ” 

he asked, as Gregory stepped on board with the five blacks. 
i| “ Yes.” 

i “ Then you can tell me about the great fight. We heard 
of it at Dongola, but beyond the fact that we had thrashed 
: the Khalifa and taken Omdurman, we received no particulars. 

But before you begin, have a drink. It is horribly annoying 
I to me,” he went on, as they sat down under the awning, and 
the steward brought tumblers, soda-water, some whisky, and 
I two lemons. Gregory refused the whisky, but took a lemon 
: with his cold water. “ A horrible nuisance,” the officer went 
j on. “ This is one of Gordon’s old steamers ; she has broken 
I down twice. Still, I console myself by thinking that even 
' if I had been in time very likely she would not have been 
; taken up. I hope, however, there will be work to do yet. 

\ As you see, I have got three of these native craft in tow, and 
it is as much as I can do to get them up this cataract, How, 

: please tell me about the battle.” 

j, Gregory gave him an outline of the struggle, of the occu- 
i pation of Omdurman, and of what might be called the 
funeral service of Gordon at Khartoum. It was dark before 
j the story was finished. 

1 “ By the way,” the officer said, as they were about to sit 
down to dinner, while we were on deck I did not ask about 
your men. I must order food to be given them.” 

They have plenty,” Gregory said ; I brought enough for 
I a week with me. I thought that I might be detained two or 
i three days here and be obliged to make the journey by land 
to Abu Hamed.” 

I have not asked you what you were doing at this out-of- 
the-way place, and how long you have been here ? ” 


260 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


I only landed this morning. I came down to search for 
some relics. My father was on board Stewart’s steamer, and 
as there would be nothing doing at Omdurman for a few 
days I got leave to run down. I was fortunate in securing 
a boat at Abu Hamed on my arrival there, and I have been 
equally so now in having been picked up by you, so that I 
shall not be away from Omdurman more than seven days if 
I have equal luck in getting a steamer at Atbara. I do not 
think I shall be disappointed, for the white troops are coming 
down and stores are going up for the Egyptian brigade, so 
that I am certain not to be kept there many hours. The Sir- 
dar has gone up to Eashoda or I don’t suppose I should have 
got leave.” 

“ Yes ; I heard at Merawi from the officer in command that 
some foreign troops had arrived there. I suppose nothing 
more is known about it ? ” 

^'Mo; no news will probably come down for another fort- 
night, perhaps longer than that.” 

“ Who can they be ? ” 

The general idea is that they are E rench. They can only 
be French or a party from the Congo States.” 

They had tremendous cheek whoever they are,” the officer 
said. “ It is precious lucky for them that we have given the 
Khalifa something else to think about, or you may be sure 
he would have wiped them out pretty quickly unless they are 
a very strong force, which doesn’t seem probable. I hear the 
Sirdar has taken a regiment up with him.” 

“Yes, but I don’t suppose any actual move will be made 
at present.” 

“Ko, I suppose it will be a diplomatic business; still, I 
should think they would have to go.” 

“Ko one has any doubt about that at Omdurman,” Greg- 
ory said. “ After all the expense and trouble we have had to 
retake the Soudan, it is not likely that we should let anyone 
else plant themselves on the road to the great lakes. When 
will you be at Abu Hamed, sir ? ” 


A VOICE FROM THE DEAD 


261 


We shall be there about five o’clock, — at any rate I think 
you may safely reckon on catching the morning train. It 
goes, I think, at eight.” 

I am sure to catch a train soon, for orders have been sent 
down that railway materials shall be sent up as quickly as 
possible, as it has been decided that the railway shall be car- 
ried on at once to Khartoum. I expect that as soon as the 
Kile falls they will make a temporary bridge across the 
Atbara.” 

It was six in the morning when the steamer arrived at Abu 
Hamed. Gregory at once landed, paid his four men, went 
up to the little station, and an hour later was on his way to 
Atbara Fort. He had but two hours to wait there, and 
reached Omdurman at three o’clock on the following after- 
noon. As he landed he met an officer he knew. 

“ Is there any news ? ” he asked. 

“ Nothing but Fashoda is talked about. It has been ascer- 
tained that the force there is undoubtedly French. The 
betting is about even as to whether France will back down 
or not. They have made it difficult for themselves by an 
outburst of enthusiasm at what they considered the defeat 
of England. Well, of course, that does not go for much ex- 
cept that it makes it harder for their government to give in.” 

‘‘And has any news been received of the whereabouts of 
the Khalifa?” 

“ No. Broadwood with two regiments of Egyptian cavalry 
and the camel corps started in pursuit of the Khalifa and 
Osman an hour after it was found that they had got away. 
Slatin Pasha went with them. But as the horses had been 
at work all day they had to stop at half-past eight. They 
could not then get down to the water, and bivouacked where 
they had halted. At four in the morning they started again, 
and at half-past eight found a spot where they could get down 
to the river; then they rode fifteen miles farther. They were 
now thirty-five miles from Omdurman. One of the gun- 
boats had gone up with supplies, but owing to the Kile having 


262 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOHDAN 

overflowed could not get near enough to land them. !N^ext 
morning they got news that the Khalifa was twenty-five miles 
ahead, and had just obtained fresh camels, so they were 
ordered to return to the town. They had picked up a good 
many of the fugitives, among them the Khalifa’s favourite 
wife, who, doubtless, with other women had slipped away 
at one of his halting-places, feeling unable to bear the con- 
stant fatigues and hardships of the flight in the desert. The 
cavalry have since been out again, but beyond the fact that 
the Khalifa had been joined by many of the fugitives from 
the battle and was making for Kordofan, no certain news 
has been obtained. 

“ At present nothing can be done in that direction. That 
horse you bought is all right.” 

“ I really did not like taking him, for I already had one, 
and it looked almost like robbery giving him two pounds for 
it and the saddle.” 

“ Others have done as well,” the officer laughed ; one of 
the brigade staff bought a horse for a pound from Burleigh, 
who had given forty for it at Cairo. There was no help for 
it, they could not take horses down. Besides, it is not their 
loss after all ; the newspapers can afford to pay for them, they 
must have been coining money of late.” 

“ That reconciles me,” Gregory laughed ; “ I did not think 
of the correspondents’ expenses being paid by the papers.” 

I don’t know anything about their arrangements, but it 
stands to reason that it must be so in a campaign like this. 
In an ordinary war a man can calculate what his outlay 
might be, but on an expedition of this kind no one could 
foretell what expenses he might have to incur. Besides, the 
Sirdar has saved the newspapers an enormous expenditure. 
The correspondents have been rigidly kept down to messages 
of* a few hundred words, whereas, if they had had their own 
way they would have sent down columns. Of course the 
correspondents grumbled, but I have no doubt their employ- 
ers were very well pleased, 'and the newspapers must have 
saved thousands of pounds by this restriction.” 


A VOICE FEOM THE DEAD 


263 


'^Tou are back sooner than I expected,” General Hunter 
said when Gregory went in and reported his arrival. “ It is 
scarce a week since you left.” 

“ J ust a week, sir. Everything went smoothly, and I was 
but three or four hours at Hebbeh.” 

And did you succeed in your search ? ” 

“ Yes, sir; I most fortunately found a man who had hidden 
a pocket-book he had taken from the body of one of the white 
men who were murdered there. There was nothing in it 
but old papers, and when Brackenbury’s expedition ap- 
proached he had hidden it away, and did not give it a thought 
until I enquired if he knew of any papers and other things 
connected with those on board the steamer. He at once took 
me to the place where he had hidden it under a great stone, 
and it turned out to be the note-book and journals of my 
father, who was, as I thought possible, the white man who 
had arrived at Khartoum a short time before the place was 
captured by the Dervishes, and who had gone down in the 
steamer that carried Colonel Stewart.” 

“ Well, Hilliard,” the General said kindly, “ even the cer- 
tain knowledge of his death is better than the fear that he 
might be in slavery. You told me you had no remembrance 
of him ? ” 

“None, sir; but of course my mother had talked of him 
so often, and had several photographs of him — the last taken 
at Cairo before he left, — so that I almost seem to have 
known him. However, I do feel it as a relief to know that 
he is not, as I feared was remotely possible, a slave among 
the Baggara; but I think it is hard that after having gone 
through two years of trials and sufferings he should have 
been murdered on his way home.” 

“No doubt that is so. Have you read your father’s diary 
yet ? ” 

“ No, sir; I have not had the heart to do so, and shall put 
it off until the shock that this has given me has passed away. 
I feel that a little hard work will be the best thing for me; 
is there any chance of it ? ” 


264 WITH KITCHEHEE IN THE SOHDAN 

“ You have just returned in time. I am going up the Blue 
Nile to-morrow morning to clear out the villages, which no 
doubt are all full of fugitives. I am glad that you have come 
back; I was speaking of you to-day to General Bundle, who 
is in command. One of the objects of the expedition is to 
prevent Fadil from crossing the river. He was advancing 
from Gedareh at the head of ten thousand troops to join 
the Khalifa, and was but forty miles away on the day after 
we took this place ; but when he received the news of our vic- 
tory he fell back. If he can cross he will bring a very for- 
midable reinforcement to the Khalifa. We know that Colo- 
nel Parsons started from Kassala on the 7th, his object being 
to capture Gedareh during the absence of Fadil. He is to 
cross the Atbara at El Fasher, and will then march up this 
bank of the river till he is at the nearest point to Gedareh. 
It is probable that he will not strike across before the 18th 
or the 20th. His force is comparatively small, and we do 
not know how large a garrison Fadil will have left there. 
Altogether we are uneasy about the expedition. It is very 
desirable that Parsons should know that Fadil is retiring, 
and that, so far as we can learn from the natives, he has not 
yet crossed the Blue Nile. Gedareh is said to be a strong 
place, and once there. Parsons might hold it against Fadil 
until we can send him reinforcements. In order to convey 
this information to him we require someone on whom we 
can absolutely rely. I said that if you were here I felt sure 
that you would volunteer for the service. Of course it is 
to a certain extent a dangerous one, but I think that, speak- 
ing the language as you do, and as you have already been 
among the Dervishes, you might, even if taken prisoner, 
make out a good story for yourself.” 

“ I would undertake the commission with pleasure,” Greg- 
ory said. I shall, of course, go in native dress.” 

“ I propose that we carry you a hundred miles up the river 
with us, and there land you. From that point it would not 
be more than sixty or seventy miles across the desert to the 


A VOICE FROM THE DEAD 


265 


Atbara, which you would strike forty or fifty miles above 
El Easher. Of course you would be able to learn there 
whether Parsons had crossed. If he had, you would ride up 
the bank till you overtake him; if he had not, you would 
probably meet him at Mugatta, he must cross below that, as 
it is there he leaves the river.” 

“ That seems simple enough, sir. My story would be that 
I was one of the Dervishes who had escaped from the battle 
here, and had stopped at a village, thinking that I was safe 
from pursuit, until your boats came along, and that I then 
crossed the desert to go to Gedareh, where I thought I should 
be safe. That would surely carry me through. I shall want 
two fast camels — one for myself and one for my boy.” 

“ These we can get for you from Abdul Azil, the Abadah 
sheik. Of course you will put on Dervish robes and badges ? ” 
Yes, sir.” 

“ 1 will go across and tell General Bundle, and obtain 
written instructions for you to carry despatches to Parsons. 
I will give them to you when you go up on the boat in the 
morning. I will see at once about the camels, and ask the 
Intelligence people to get you two of the Dervish suits. You 
will also want rifles.” 

“ Thank you, sir ! I have a couple of Remingtons, and 
plenty of ammunition for them. I have two spears also 
which I picked up when we came in here.” 

“We are off again, Zaki,” he said when he returned to his 
hut, where the black was engaged in sweeping up the dust 
and arranging everything as usual. 

“ Yes, master.” Zaki suspended his work. “ When do we 
go ? ” 

“ To-morrow morning.” 

“ Do we take everything with us ? ” 

“Mo; I start in uniform. We shall both want Dervish 
dresses, but you need not trouble about them — they will be 
got for us.” 

“ Then we are going among the Dervishes again ? ” 


266 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

“ Well, I hope we are not; but we may meet some of them. 
We are going with the expedition up the Blue .Nile, and will 
then land and strike across the desert to the Atbara. That 
is enough for you to know at present. We shall take our 
guns and spears with us.” 

Zaki had no curiosity. If his master was going it was 
of course all right — his confidence in him was absolute. 
In about an hour a native from the Intelligence Depart- 
ment brought down two Dervish dresses complete. They 
had still three hours before mess, and Gregory sat down on 
his bed and opened his father’s pocket-book, which he had 
had no opportunity to do since it came into his possession. 


CHAPTEK XVII 

A FUGITIVE 

“ T DO not suppose,” the diary began, “ that what I write 
J- here will ever be read. It seems to me that the chances 
are immeasurably against it. Still, there is a possibility that 
it may fall into the hands of some of my countrymen when, 
as will surely be the case, the Mahdi’s rebellion is crushed 
and order restored; and I intend, so long as I live, to jot down 
from time to time what happens to me, in order that the only 
person living interested in me, my wife, may possibly some 
day get to know what my fate has been. Therefore, should 
this scrap of paper and other scraps that may follow it be 
ever handed to one of my countr5nnen, I pray him to send it 
to Mrs. Hilliard, care of the manager of the Bank at Cairo. 
It may be that this, the first time I write, may be the last, 
and I therefore before all things wish to send her my heart’s 
love, to tell her that my last thoughts and my prayers will 
be for her, and that I leave it entirely to her whether to re- 
turn to England in accordance with the instructions I left 
her before leaving, or to remain in Cairo. 


A FUGITIVE 


267 


I 

I 


f; 


r 


“ It is now five days since the battle. It cannot be called 
a battle. It was not fighting; it was a massacre. The men, 
after three days’ incessant fighting, were exhausted and worn- 
out, half-mad with thirst, half-mutinous at being brought 
into the desert, as they said, to die ; thus, when the Dervishes 
rushed down in a mass the defence was feeble. Almost be- 
fore' we knew what had happened the enemy had burst in on 
one side of the square. Then all was wild confusion — camels 
and Dervishes, flying Egyptians, screaming campfollowers, 
were all mixed in confusion. The other sides of the square 
were also attacked. Some of our men were firing at those 
in their front, others turning round and shooting into the 
crowded mass in the square. I was with a black regiment 
on the side opposite to where they burst in. The white 
officer who had been in command had fallen ill, and had been 
sent back a few days after we left Khartoum, and as I had 
been for weeks before that aiding him to the best of my 
powers, and there were no other officers to spare, Hicks asked 
me to take his place. As I had done everything I could for 
the poor fellows’ comfort on the march, they had come to 
like me and to obey my orders as promptly as those of their 
former commander. 

“ As long as the other two sides of the square stood firm, 
I did so; but they soon gave way. I saw Hicks with his 
staff charge into the midst of the Dervishes, and then lost 
sight of them. Seeing that all was lost, I called to my men 
to keep together, to march off in regular order, and repel all 
assaults, as this was the only hope there was of getting free. 
They obeyed my orders splendidly. Two or three times the 
Dervishes charged upon them, but the blacks were as steady 
as rocks, and their volleys were so fatal that the enemy finally 
left us alone, preferring to aid in the slaughter of the panic- 
stricken Egyptians, and to share the spoil. We made for the 
wells. Each man drank his fill ; those who had water-bottles 
filled them. We then marched on towards El Obeid, but 
before nightfall the Dervish horse had closed up round us. 


268 WITH KITCHEHEK IN THE SOUDAH 

At daylight their infantry had also arrived, and fighting 
began. 

'' All day we held our position, killing great numbers but 
losing many men ourselves. By night our water was ex- 
hausted. Then the soldiers offered to attack the enemy, but 
they were twenty to one against us, and I said to them, ^ ITo, 
fight one day longer if we can hold on. The Dervishes may 
retire or they may offer us terms.’ So we stood. By the 
next evening we had lost half our number. After they had 
drawn off, one of the Dervish emirs came in with a white 
flag and offered life to all who would surrender and would 
wear the badge of the Mahdi and be his soldiers. I replied 
that an answer should be given in the morning. When he 
had left I gathered the men together. ‘You have fought 
nobly,’ I said, ‘ but you have scarce a round of ammunition 
left. If we fight again to-morrow we shall all be slaughtered. 
I thank you in the name of the Khedive for all that you have 
done, but I do not urge you to reject the terms offered. Your 
deaths would not benefit the Khedive. As far as I am con- 
cerned you are free to accept the terms offered.’ 

“ They talked for some time together, and then the three 
native officers who were still alive came forward. 

“ ‘ Bimbashi,’ they said, ‘ what will be done about you ? 
We are Mahometans and their countrymen, but you are a 
white man and a Christian. You would not fight for the 
Mahdi ? ’ 

“ ‘ Ko,’ I said, ‘ I would not fight for him, nor would I gain 
my life at the price of being his slave. I wish you to settle 
the matter without any reference to me. I will take my 
chance. I may not be here in the morning. One man might 
escape where many could not. All I ask is that I may not 
be watched. If in the morning I am not here, you can all 
say that I disappeared, and you do not know how. I do not 
myself know what I am going to do yet.’ 

“ They went away, and in a quarter of an hour returned 
and said that the men would surrender. If they had water 


A FUGITIVE 


269 


and ammunition they would go on fighting till the end; but 
as they had neither, they would surrender. 

“ I felt that this was best. The Soudanese love battle, and 
would as readily fight on one side as on the other. They 
have done their duty well to the Khedive, and will doubtless 
fight as bravely for the Mahdi. 

“ The men lay in a square as they had fought, with sentries 
placed to warn them should the Dervishes make a night- 
attack. British troops would have been well-nigh maddened 
with thirst after being twenty-four hours without water and 
fighting all day in the blazing sun, but they felt it little. 
They were thirsty, but in their desert marches they are ac- 
customed to thirst and to hold on for a long time without 
water. I was better off, for I had drunk sparingly the day 
before from my water-bottle and had still a draught left 
in it. 

I waited until I thought that the men were all asleep ; 
then I stripped and stained myself from head to foot. I had 
carried stain with me, in case I might have to go out as a 
native to obtain information. In my valise I had a native 
dress and a native cloth, in which I could have passed as a 
peasant, but not as one of the Baggara. However, I put it 
on, passed through the sleeping men, and went up to a sentry. 

“‘You know me,’ I said. ‘I am your Bimbashi. I am 
going to try and get through their lines; but if it is known 
how I have escaped I shall be pursued and slain. Will you 
swear to me that if you are questioned you will say you 
know nothing of my flight ? ’ 

“ ‘ I swear by the beard of the Prophet,’ the man said. 
‘ May Allah protect you, my lord ! ’ 

“ Then I went on. The night was fairly dark, and as the 
Dervishes were nearly half a mile away I had no fear of being 
seen by them. There were many of their dead scattered 
about, seventy or eighty yards from our square. I had all 
along felt convinced that it would be impossible to pass 
through their lines; therefore I went to a spot where I had 


270 WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 

noticed that a number had fallen close together, and went 
about examining them carefully. It would not have done 
to have chosen the dress of an emir, as his body might have 
been examined, but the ordinary dead would pass unnoticed. 
I first exchanged the robe for one marked with the Mahdi’s 
patches. It was already smeared with blood. I then carried 
the body of the man whose robe I had taken off for some 
distance. I laid him down on his face, thinking that the 
absence of the patches would not be seen. Then I crawled 
some thirty or forty yards nearer to the Dervishes, so that it 
would seem that I had strength to get that far before dying. 
Then I lay down partly on my side, so that the patches would 
show, but with my face downwards on my arm. 

I had, before dyeing my skin, cut my hair close to my 
head, on which I placed the Dervish’s turban. The only prop- 
erty that I brought out with me was a revolver and this 
pocket-book. Both of these I buried in the sand ; the pocket- 
book a short distance away, the pistol lightly covered and 
within reach of my hand, so that I could grasp it and sell my 
life dearly if discovered. 

Soon after daylight I heard the triumphant yells of the 
Dervishes, and knew that my men had surrendered. Then 
there was a rush of horse and foot, and much shouting and 
talking. I lifted my head slightly and looked across. Not 
a Dervish was to be seen in front of me. I felt that I had 
better move, so, taking up my pistol and hiding it, I crawled 
on my hands and knees to the spot where I had hidden this 
book, and then got up on to my feet and staggered across the 
plain as if sorely wounded and scarcely able to drag my feet 
along. As I had hoped, no one seemed to notice me, and I 
saw three or four other figures also making their way pain- 
fully towards where the Dervishes had encamped. 

“Here were a few camels standing untended. Everyone 
had joined in the rush for booty — a rush to be met with bit- 
ter disappointment, for, with the exception of the arms of 
the fallen, and what few valuables they might have about 


A FUGITIVE 


271 


their person, there was nothing to be gained. I diverged 
from the line I had been following, kept on until there was 
a dip in the ground that would hide me from the sight of 
those behind, then I started to run, and at last threw myself 
down in the scrub four or five miles away from the iwint 
from which I had started. I was perfectly safe for the pres- 
ent. The Dervishes were not likely to search over miles of 
the desert, dotted as it was with thick bushes. The question 
was as to the future. My position was almost as bad as 
could be; I was lyithout food or water, and there were hun- 
dreds of miles of desert between me and Khartoum. At 
every water-hole I should almost certainly find parties of 
Dervishes. 

“ From time to time I lifted my head and saw several large 
parties of the enemy moving in the distance. They were 
evidently bound on a journey, and were not thinking of look- 
ing for me. I chewed the sour leaves of the camel bush, and 
this to some extent alleviated my thirst. I determined at 
last that I would, in the first place, march to the wells tow- 
ards which we had been pressing when the Dervishes came 
up to us. They were nearly three miles south of the spot 
where the square had stood. Ko doubt Dervishes would be 
there, but if discovered by them it was better to die so than 
of thirst. Half an hour before the sun sank I started. 'No 
horsemen were in sight, and if any were to come along I 
could see them long before they could notice me. Knowing 
the general direction, I was fortunate enough to get sight 
of the palm-grove which surrounded the wells before dark- 
ness set in. 

“ It lay about two miles away, and there were certainly 
moving objects round it. I lay down until twilight had 
passed, and then went forward. When within two or three 
hundred yards of the grove, I lay down again and waited. 
That the Dervishes would all go to sleep, however long I 
might wait, was too much to hope for. They would be sure 
to sit and talk far into the night of the events of the last 


272 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

three or four days. Shielding myself as well as I could by 
the bushes, I crawled up until I was in the midst of some 
camels which were browsing. Here I stood up, and then 
walked boldly into the grove. As I had expected, two or 
th'ree score of Dervishes were sitting in groups, talking 
gravely. They had destroyed the Turks (as they always 
called the Egyptians and their infidel white leaders), but had 
suffered heavily themselves. The three hundred Soudanese 
who had surrendered, and who had taken service with the 
Mahdi, were but poor compensation for the losses they had 
suffered. 

“ ^ A year ago,’ one old sheik said, ‘ I was the father of 
eight brave sons. How they have all gone before me. E> ur 
of them fell in the assaults at El Obeid, two at Baria, and 
the last two have now been killed. I shall meet them 
again in the abode of the blessed, and the sooner the bett 
for I have no one left to care for.’ Others had tales of 1 . 
loss of relations and friends, but I did not wait to listen 
further. Taking up a large water gourd that stood emj^v 
at the foot of one of the trees, I boldly walked to the w( 
descended the rough steps at the water’s edge, and drank 1 
I could drink no longer, and then, filling the gourd, went \ 
again. Ho one noticed me. Had they looked at me th 
would have seen even in the darkness the great patches do' 
the front of the robe, but I don’t think anyone did not 
me. Other figures were moving about from group to grou 
and I kept on through the grove until beyond the trees. 
came out on the side opposite to that which I had entered, 
and, as I expected, found some of the Dervish horses grazinj 
among the bushes. 

“Ho guard was placed over them, as they were too well 
trained to wander far. I went out to them and chose tho 
poorest, which happened to be farther among the bushes thaii 
the others. I had thought the matter well over. If a good 
horse were taken, there would be furious pursuit as soon as 
it was missed, and this might be soon, for the Arabs are 




i 



WELL 


99 



4 


A FUGITIVE 


273 


passionately fond of their favourite horses — more so than 
they are of their families. While I had been waiting at the 
edge of the wood more than one had come out to pat and 
fondle his horse and give it a handful of dates. But a poor 
animal would meet with no such attention, and the fact that 
he was missing was not likely to be discovered till daylight. 
Probably no great search would be made for it; the others 
would ride on, and its owner might spend some hours in look- 
ing about, thinking it had strayed away and was lying some- 
where among the bushes. 

I had no thought of trying to return to Khartoum. The 
wells were far apart, and Dervish bands were certain to be 
moving along the line. It seemed to me that El Obeid was 
the safest place to go to. True, it was in the hands of the 
JVTahdists, but doubtless many wounded would be making 
their way there. Some doubtless would have wives and chil- 
dren, others might have come from distant villages, but these 
would all make for the town as the only place where they 
could find food, water, and shelter. Biding till morning I 
let the horse graze, and threw myself down among the bushes, 
intending to remain there until nightfall. In the afternoon, 
on waking from a long sleep, I sat up and saw a quarter of a 
mile away a Dervish making his way along on foot, slowly 
and painfully. This was the very chance I had hoped might 
occur. I got up at once and walked towards him. ‘ My 
friend is sorely wounded,’ I said. 

^^^My journey is well-nigh ended,’ he said. ‘I had hoped 
to reach El Obeid, but I know that I shall not arrive at the 
well, which lies three miles away. I have already fallen three 
times; the next will be the last. Would that the bullet of 
the infidel had slain me on the spot I ’ 

“ The poor fellow spoke with difficulty, so parched were 
his lips and swollen his tongue. I went to the bush where 
I had left the gourd half -full of water. The man was still 
standing where I had left him, but when he saw the gourd 
in my hand he gave a little cry and tottered feebly tow- 
ards me. 


274 


WITH KITCHENEK IN' THE SOUDAN" 


^ Let my friend drink,’ I said. I held the gourd to his 
lips. ^ Sip a little first,’ I said ; ‘ you can drink your fill 
afterwards.’ 

“ ‘ Allah has sent you to save me,’ he said ; and after two or 
three gulps of water he drew back his head. ^ Now I can rest 
till the sun has set, and then go forward as far as the well, 
and die there.’ 

“ ‘ Let me see your wound,’ I said, ^ it may be that I can 
relieve the pain a little.’ 

“ He had been shot through the body, and it was a marvel 
to me how he could have walked so far; but the Arabs, like 
other wild creatures, have a wonderful tenacity of life. I 
aided him to the shelter of the thick bush, then I let him 
have another and longer drink, and bathed his wound with 
water. Tearing off a strip from the bottom of his robe, I 
bound it round him, soaking it with water over the wound. 
He had been suffering more from thirst than from pain, and 
he seemed stronger already. ^ Now,’ I said, ^ you had better 
sleep.’ 

have not slept since the last battle,’ he said. ‘I 
started as soon as it was dark enough for me to get up with- 
out being seen by the Turks. I have been walking ever since, 
and dared not lie down. At first I hoped that I might get to 
the town where my wife lived, and die in my own house. But 
that hope left me as I grew weaker and weaker, and I have 
only prayed for strength enough to reach the well, to drink, 
and to die there.’ 

“ ‘ Sleep now,’ I said. ^ Be sure that I will not leave you. 
Is it not our duty to help one another? When the heat is 
over we may go on. I have a horse here which you shall 
ride. How far is it from the well to El Obeid ? ’ 

“‘It is four hours’ journey on foot.’ 

“‘Good! Then you shall see your wife before morning. 
We will stop at the well to give my horse a good drink, and 
then, if you feel well enough to go on, we will not wait above 
an hour.’ 


A FUGITIVE 


275 


‘ May Allah bless you ! ’ the man said, and he then closed 
his eyes and at once went to sleep. I lay down beside him, 
but not to sleep. I was overjoyed with my good fortune. 
Mow I could enter El Obeid boldly, and the wounded man 
being a native there, no questions would be asked me. I had 
a house to go to and shelter for the present. As to what 
might happen afterwards I did not care to think. Some way 
of escape would surely occur in time. Once my position as 
a Mahdist was fully established, I should be able to join any 
party going towards Khartoum, and should avoid all ques- 
tioning; whereas if I were to journey alone I should be asked 
by every band I met where I came from, and might at any 
moment be detected if there happened to be any from the 
village I should name as my abode. It was all-important 
that this poor fellow should live until at least I had been 
with him two days in the town. 

“From time to time I dipped a piece of rag in the gourd, 
squeezed a few drops of water between his lips, and then laid 
it on his forehead. When the sun began to get low I went 
out and caught the horse. As I came up the Dervish opened 
his eyes. ‘I am better,’ he said. ‘You have restored me to 
life. My head is cool, and my lips no longer parched.’ 

“ ‘Mow,’ I said, ‘ I will lift you into the saddle. You had 
better ride with both legs on the same side, it will be better 
for your wound. There is a mound of earth a few yards 
away; if you will stand up on that I can lift you into the 
saddle easily. Mow put your arms round my neck and I 
will lift you in the standing position; if you try to get up 
yourself your wound might easily break out again.’ 

“I managed better than I had expected, and, taking the 
bridle, led the horse towards the well. 

“ ‘ You must tell me the way,’ I said, ‘ for I am a stranger 
in this part, having come from the Blue Mile.’ 

“ ‘ I know it perfectly,’ he said, ‘ having been born in El 
Obeid. I fought against the Mahdists till we were starved 
out, and then as we all saw that the power of the Mahdi was 


276 


WITH KITCHEHEK IN' THE SOUDAN 


great, and that Allah was with him^J^e did not hesitate to 
accept his terms and to puj^mhis badges/ 

“ In less than an hour we saw the trees that marked the 
position of the well, and in another half-hour reached it. 
At least a score of wounded men were there, many of them 
so sorely hurt that they would get no farther. They paid 
little attention to us. One of them was known to Saleh — for 
the wounded man told me that that was his name — he also 
was from El Obeid. He was suffering from a terrible cut in 
the shoulder which had almost severed the arm. He told 
my man that it was given by one of the infidel officers before 
he fell. I thought it was as well to have two friends instead 
of one, and did what I could to bind his wound up and fasten 
his arm firmly to his side. Then I said to him, ^ My horse, 
after three hours’ rest, will be able to carry you both. You 
can sit behind Saleh and hold him on with your unwounded 
arm.’ 

‘ Truly, stranger, you are a merciful man and a good one. 
Wonderful is it that you should give up your horse to men 
who are strangers to you, and walk on foot yourself.’ 

^ Allah commands us to be compassionate to each other. 
What is a walk of a few miles? It is nothing, it is not 
worth speaking of. Say no more about it, I beseech you. 
I am a stranger in El Obeid, and you may be able to befriend 
me there.’ 

“ Three hours later Abdullah, which was the name of the 
second man, mounted and assisted me to lift Saleh in front 
of him, and we set out for El Obeid. We got into the town 
at daybreak. There were few people about, and these paid 
no attention to us. Wounded men had been coming in in 
hundreds. Turning into the street where both the men lived, 
we went first to the house of Saleh, which was at the farther 
end, and was indeed quite in the outskirts of the place. It 
stood in a walled enclosure, and was of better appearance 
than I had expected. I went to the door and struck my hand 
against it. A voice within asked what was wanted, and I 


A FUGITIVE 277 

said, bring home the master of the house; he is sorely 
wounded.’ 

There was a loud cry, and the door opened and a woman 
ran out. 

“ ‘ Do not touch him,’ Abdullah exclaimed. ‘ We will get 
him down from the horse, but first bring out an angareb. 
We will lower him down on to that.’ 

The woman went in and returned with an angareb. It 
was the usual Soudan bed, of wooden framework, with a hide 
lashed across it. I directed them how to lift one end against 
the horse so that Saleh could slide down on to it. 

‘ Wife,’ the Arab said when this was done, ^ by the will 
of Allah, who sent this stranger to my aid, I have returned 
alive. His name is Mudil. I cannot tell you now what he 
has done for me. This house is his. He is more than guest, 
he is master. He has promised to remain with me till I die 
or am given back to life again. Do as he bids you in all 
things.’ 

“ Abdullah would have assisted to carry the bed in, but 
I told him that it might hurt' his arm, and I and the 
woman could do it. ‘You had better go off at once to your 
own people, Abdullah. There must be many here who under- 
stand the treatment of wounds; you had better get one at 
once to attend to your arm.” 

“ ‘ I will come again this evening,’ the man replied. ‘ I 
consider that I also owe my life to you; and when you have 
stayed a while here you must come to me. My wives and 
children will desire to thank you when I tell them how you 
brought me in here.’ 

“ ‘ Is there any place where I can put my horse ? ’ I asked. 

“‘Yes,’ the woman replied; ‘take it to that door in the 
wall. I will go and unfasten it.’ 

“ There was a shed in the garden. Into this I put my 
horse, and then entered the house. 

“ Most of the Arab women know something of the dressing 
of wounds. Saleh’s wife sent out a slave to buy various 


278 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


drugs ; then she got a melon from the garden, cut off the rind, 
and mincing the fruit in small pieces squeezed out the juice 
and gave it to her husband to drink. When she had done 
this she set before me a plate of pounded maize which was 
boiling over a little fire of sticks when we went in. 

“ * It is your breakfast,’ I said. 

“ She waved her hand. 

“ ^ I can cook more,’ she said ; ^ it matters not if we do not 
eat till sunset.’ 

“ I sat down at once, for indeed I was famishing. The 
food had all been exhausted at the end of the first day’s fight- 
ing. I had been more than two days without eating a mor- 
sel. I have no doubt I ate ravenously, for the woman, 
without a word, emptied the contents of the pot into my 
bowl and then went out and cut another melon for me. 
When the slave woman returned she boiled some of the herbs, 
made a sort of poultice of them, and placed in on the wound. 
Saleh had fallen asleep the moment he had drunk the melon 
juice, and did not move while the poultice was being applied. 

“ The house contained three rooms — the one which served 
as kitchen and living room ; one leading from it on the right 
with the curtains hanging before the door (this was Saleh’s 
room) ; and on the opposite side the guest-chamber. I have 
not mentioned that there were four or five children, all of 
whom had been turned out as soon as we entered, and threat- 
ened with terrible punishments by their mother if they made 
any noise. 

“ When I finished my meal I went into the guest-chamber, 
threw myself down on the angareb there, and slept till sun- 
set. When I awoke I found that a native doctor had come 
and examined Saleh. He had approved of what the woman 
had done, told her to continue to poultice the wound, and 
had given her a small phial from which she was to pour two 
drops into the wound morning and evening. He said, what 
I could have told her, that her husband was in the hands 
of Allah. If He willed it, her husband would live. Of 


A FUGITIVE 


279 


course I had seen something of wounds, for in the old times 
— it seems a lifetime back — when I was for two years search- 
ing tombs and monuments with the professor, there had been 
frays between our workmen and bands of robbers ; and there 
were also many cases of injuries incurred in the work of 
moving heavy fragments of masonry. Moreover, although I 
had no actual practice, I had seen a good deal of surgical 
work, for when I was at the university I had some idea of be- 
coming a surgeon, and attended the courses there and saw a 
good many operations. I had therefore, of course, a general 
knowledge of the structure of the human frame and the posi- 
tion of the arteries. 

“ So far, the wound, which I examined when the woman 
poured in what I suppose was a styptic, looked healthy and 
but little inflamed. Of course a skilled surgeon would have 
probed it and endeavoured to extract the ball, which had not 
gone through. The Soudanese were armed only with old 
muskets, and it was possible that the ball had not penetrated 
far, for if, as he had told me, he was some distance from the 
square when he was hit, the bullet was probably spent. I 
told the woman so, and asked her if she had any objection 
to my endeavouring to find it. She looked surprised. 

^ Are you, then, a hakim?’ 

‘ Mo, but I have been at Khartoum, and have seen how the 
white hakims find which way a bullet has gone. They are 
sometimes able to get it out. At any rate, I should not hurt 
him, and if, as is likely, the ball has not gone in very far — 
for had it done so he would probably have died before he got 
home — I might draw it out.’ 

“ ^ You can try,’ she said. ^ You have saved his life and it 
is yours.’ 

“ ^ Bring me the pistol that your husband had in his belt.’ 

“ She brought it to me. I took out the ramrod. ‘ Mow,’ 
I said, ‘ it is most important that this should be clean ; there- 
fore heat it in the fire so that it is red-hot, and then drop it 
into cold water.’ When this had been done I took a handful 


280 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


of sand and polished the rod till it shone, and afterwards 
wiped it carefully with a cloth. Then I inserted it in the 
wound very gently. It had entered but an inch and a half 
when it struck something hard which could only be the 
bullet. It was as I had hoped, the ball had been almost spent 
when it struck him. Saleh was awake now, and had at once 
consented to my suggestion, having come to have implicit 
faith in me. 

“^It is, you see, Saleh, just as I had hoped. I felt sure 
that it could not have gone in far, as in that case you could 
never have walked twenty miles from the battle-field to the 
point where you met me. How, if I had a proper instrument 
I might be able to extract the bullet. I might hurt you in 
doing so, but if I could get it out you would recover speedily ; 
while if it remains where it is, the wound may infiame and 
you will die.’ 

‘ I am not afraid of pain, Mudil.’ • 

I could touch the ball with my finger, but beyond feeling 
that the flesh in which it was embedded was not solid to the 
touch, I could do nothing towards getting the ball out. I 
dare not try to enlarge the wound so as to get two fingers 
in. After thinking the matter over in every way I decided 
that the only (Chance was to make a tool from the ramrod. 
I heated this again and again, flattening it with the pistol- 
barrel till it was not more than a tenth of an inch thick; 
then I cut from the centre a strip about a quarter of an inch 
wide. I then rubbed down the edges of the strip on a stone 
till they were perfectly smooth, and bent the end into a curve. 
I again heated it to a dull red and plunged it into water to 
harden it, and finally rubbed it with a little oil. It was late 
in the evening before I was satisfied with my work. 

‘^^How, Saleh,’ I said, ‘I am going to try if this will do. 
If I had one of the tools I have seen the white hakims use, 
I am sure I could get the ball out easily enough, but I think 
I can succeed with this. If I cannot, I must make another 
like it, so as to put one down each side of the bullet. You 


A FUGITIVE 


281 


i 

i 


ti 


see, this curve makes a sort of hook; the difficulty is to get 
it under the bullet/ 

“ ‘ I understand,’ he said. ‘ Do not mind hurting me. I 
have seen men die of bullets even after the wound seemed 
to heal. I know it is better to try and get it out.’ 

“It was a difficult job. Pressing back the flesh with my 
finger, I succeeded at last in getting the hook under the 
bullet; this I held firmly against it, and to my delight felt 
as I raised finger and hook together that the bullet was com- 
ing. A few seconds later I held it triumphantly between my 
fingers. 

“ ‘ There, Saleh, there is your enemy. I think, now, that 
if there is no inflammation it will not be long before you are 
well and strong again.’ 

Truly, it is wonderful!’ the man said gratefully. 
have heard of hakims who are able to draw bullets from 
wounds, but I have never seen it done before.’, 

“If Saleh had been a white man I should still have felt 
doubtful as to his recovery, but I was perfectly confident that 
a wound of that sort would heal well in an Arab, especially 
as it would be kept cool and clean. Hard exercise, life in the 
open air, entire absence of stimulating liquors, and only very 
occasionally, if ever, meat diet, render them almost insensible 
to wounds that would paralyse a white. Our surgeons had 
been astonished at the rapidity with which the wounded pris- 
oners recovered. Saleh’s wife had stood by as if carved in 
stone while I performed the operation, but when I produced 
the bullet she burst into tears and poured blessings on my 
head. 

“ I am writing this on the following morning. Saleh has 
slept quietly all night; his hand is cool this morning, and I 
think I may fairly say that he is convalescent. 

“Abdullah’s wife came in yesterday evening and told the 
women here that her husband was asleep, but that he would 
come round in the morning. I warned her not to let him 
stir out-of-doors, and said I would come and see him. 


282 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

It has taken me five hours to write this, which seems a 
very long time to spend on details of things not worth record- 
ing ; but the act of writing has taken my thoughts off myself, 
and I intend always to note down anything special. It will 
be interesting to me to read it if I ever get away; should 
I be unable to escape, I shall charge Saleh to carry it to Khar- 
toum if he ever has the chance, and hand it over to the 
Governor there, to send down to Cairo. 

“A week later. I am already losing count of days, but 
days matter nothing. I have been busy, so busy that I have 
not even had time to write. After I had finished my story 
so far, Saleh’s slave woman took me to Abdullah’s house. I 
found that he was in a state of high fever, but all I could do 
was to recommend that a wet rag should be applied, and 
freshly wetted every quarter of an hour ; that his head should 
be kept similarly enveloped in wet bandages; and that his 
hands should be dipped in water very frequently. When I 
got back I found several women waiting outside Saleh’s 
house. His wife had gossiped with a neighbour, and told 
them that I had got the bullet out of his wound. The news 
spread rapidly, and these women were all there to beg that I 
would see their husbands. 

“ This was awkward. I certainly could not calculate upon 
being successful in cases where a bullet had penetrated more 
deeply, and even if I could do so, I should at once excite 
the hostility of the native hakims, and draw very much more 
attention upon myself than I desired. In vain I protested 
that I was not a hakim, and had done only what I had seen 
a white hakim do. Finding that this did not avail, I said 
that I would not go to see any man except with one of the 
native doctors. 

“ ^ There are two here,’ one of the women said ; ^ I will go 
and fetch them.’ 

“^Ko,’ I said; ^who am I that they should come to me? 
I will go and see them if you will show me where they live.’ 

“ ‘ Ah, here they come ! ’ she said, as two Dervishes ap- 


A ruGiTiVE 283 

proached. I went up to them, and they said : ^ We hear that 
you are a hakim who has done great things/ 

“‘I am no hakim,’ I said; was just coming to you to 
tell you so. The man I aided was a friend and was not 
deeply wounded. Having seen a white hakim take bullets 
from wounded men, I tried my best, and as the bullet was 
but a short way in I succeeded. If I had had the instru- 
ments I saw the infidel use it would have been easy, but I 
had to make an instrument, which sufiiced for the purpose, 
although it would have been of no use had the bullet gone 
in deeper.’ 

They came in and examined Saleh’s wound, the bullet, 
and the tool I had made. 

“ ‘ It is well,’ they said ; ^ you have profited by what you 
saw. Whence do you come ? ’ 

“ I told the same story that I had told Saleh. 

‘ You have been some time at Khartoum? ’ 

‘ Hot very long,’ I said; ^ but I went down once to Cairo, 
and was there some years. It was there I came to know 
something of the ways of the infidels. I am a poor man and 
very ignorant, but if you will allow me I will act as your 
assistant, as I know that there are many wounded here. If 
you will tell me what to do I will follow your instructions 
carefully.’ 

The two hakims looked more satisfied at finding that I 
was not a dangerous rival. One said: ^ Among the things 
that have been brought in here is a box. Those who brought 
it did not know what it contained, and it was too strong for 
them to open, though of course they were able to hammer 
it and break it open. It contained nothing but many shin- 
ing instruments, but the only one that we knew the purport 
of was a saw. There were two boxes of the same shape, and 
the other contained a number of little bottles of drugs; and 
we thought that maybe as the boxes were alike, these shining 
instruments were used by the white hakim.’ 

^ I can tell you that if I see them,’ I said, and went with 


284 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


them. In a house where booty of all sorts was stored I saw 
the chests which I knew were those carried by Hicks’s medi- 
cal officer. The one contained drugs, the other a variety 
of surgical instruments — probes, forceps, amputating knives, 
and many other instruments of whose use I was ignorant. 
I picked out three or four probes and forceps of different 
shapes. 

“ ‘ These are the instruments,’ I said, ^ with which they 
take out bullets. With one of these thin instruments they 
search the wound until they find the ball. Sometimes they 
cannot find it, and even when they have found it they some- 
times cannot get hold of it with any of these tools, which, 
as you see, open and shut.’ 

“ ^ What are the knives for ? ’ 

^ They use the knives for cutting off limbs. Twice have 
I seen this done, for I was travelling with a learned hakim 
who was searching the tombs for relics. In one case a great 
stone fell on a man’s foot and smashed it, and the hakim 
took it off at the ankle. In another case a man had been 
badly wounded by a bullet in the arm. He was not one of 
our party, but hearing of the hakim’s skill he had made a 
journey of three days to him. The wound was very bad, and 
they said it was too late to save the arm, so they cut it off 
above the elbow.’ 

“ ^ And they lived ? ’ 

^ Yes, they both lived.’ 

^ Could you do that ? ’ 

^^I shook my head. /It requires much skill,’ I said. ‘I 
saw how it was done, but to do it one’s self is very different. 
If there was a man who must die if an arm or a leg were 
not taken off, I would try to save his life, but I would not 
try unless it was clear that the man must die if it were not 
done. But you are learned men, hakims, and if you will 
take me as your assistant I will show you how the white doc- 
tors take out balls, and, if there is no other way, cut off 
limbs, and when I have once shown you you will do it far 
better than I.’ 


A HAKIM 


285 


The two men seemed much pleased. It was evident to 
them that if they could do these things it would widely add 
to their reputation. ^It is good/ they said; ^you shall go 
round with us and see the wounded, and we will see for our- 
selves what you can do. Will you want this chest carried? ^ 
^‘^No/ I said; will take these instruments with me. 
Should it be necessary to cut off a limb to try and save life, 
I shall need the knives, the saw, and this instrument, which 
I heard the white hakim call a tourniquet, and which they 
use for stopping the flow of blood while they are cutting. 
There are other instruments, too, that will be required.’ ” 


CHAPTEE XYIII 

A HAKIM 

‘‘X SUCCEEDED in getting out two more bullets, and 
-L then handed the instruments to the hakims, saying that 
I had shown them all I knew, and would now leave the matter 
in their hands altogether, or would act as their assistant if 
they wished it. I had no fear that harm would come of it, for 
being so frequently engaged in war I knew that they had in 
a rough way considerable skill in the treatment of wounds. 
I had impressed upon them while probing the wounds that 
no force must be used, and that the sole object was to find 
the exact course the ball had taken. As to the amputations, 
they would probably not be attempted. A fighting Dervish 
would rather die than lose a limb, and were he to die under 
an operation his relatives would accuse the operator of hav- 
ing killed him. 

“ I remained at work with them for two or three days. In 
nearly half the cases they failed to find the course of the 
ball; but when they did so and the wound was not too deep, 
they generally succeeded in extracting it. They were highly 


286 WITH KITCHENEK IH THE SOUDAH 

pleased, and I took great pains to remain well in the back' 
ground. 

“ They were very friendly with me ; their fees were mostly 
horses, or carpets, or other articles, in accordance with the 
means of the patients, and of these they gave me a portion, 
together with some money which had been looted from the 
chests carrying silver for the purchase of provisions and the 
payment of troops. Although they made a pretence of beg- 
ging me to remain always with them, I refused, saying that 
I saw I could no longer be of assistance to them. I could 
see they were inwardly pleased. They gave me some more 
money, and I left them, saying that I did not for a moment 
suppose that I could tell them anything further, but that if 
at any time they should send for me I would try and recall 
what I had seen the white hakims do in such a case as they 
were dealing with. 

In the meantime Saleh was progressing very favourably, 
and indeed would have been up and about had I not peremp- 
torily ordered him to remain quiet. ‘You are doing well,’ I 
said ; ‘ why should you risk bringing on inflammation merely 
for the sake of getting about a few days earlier ? ’ 

“ Abdullah was also better but still extremely weak, and 
I had to order that meat should be boiled for some hours, 
and that he should drink small quantities of the broth three 
or four times a day. Many times a day women came to me 
to ask me to see to their husbands’ wounds, and sometimes 
the wounded men came to me themselves. All the serious 
cases I referred to the hakims, and confined myself simply 
to dressing and bandaging wounds which had grown angry 
for want of attention. I always refused to accept fees, in- 
sisting that I was not a hakim, and simply afforded my help 
as a friend. I had the satisfaction, however, of doing a 
great deal of good, for in the medicine-chest I found a large 
supply of plaster and bandages. Frequently mothers brought 
children to me. These I could have treated with some of the 
simple drugs in the chest, but I refused to do so, for I could 


A HAKIM 


287 


not have explained in any satisfactory way how I knew one 
drug from another, or was acquainted with their qualities. 
Still, although I refused fees I had many little presents of 
fowls, fruit, pumpkins, and other things. These prevented 
my feeling that I was a burden upon Saleh, for of course 
I put them into the general stock. 

“ So far, I cannot but look back with deep gratitude for 
the strange manner in which I have been enabled to avert 
all suspicion, and even to make myself quite a popular char- 
acter among the people of El Obeid. One bottle I found in 
the medicine-chest was a great prize to me. It contained 
iodine, and with a weak solution of this I was able to main- 
tain my colour. I did not care so much for my face and 
hands, for I was so darkened by the sun that my complexion 
was little fairer than that of many of the Arabs. But I 
feared that an accidental display of a portion of my body 
usually covered by my garments would at once prove that 
I was a white man. I had used up the stuff that I had 
brought with me when I escaped from the square, and having 
no means of procuring fresh stain, was getting uneasy, but 
this discovery of the iodine put it within my power to renew 
my colouring whenever it was necessary. 

About a month later. 

I have been living here quietly since I last wrote in this 
journal. The day after I had done so the Emir sent for me 
and said he had heard that I had taken bullets out of wounds, 
and had shown the two doctors of the town how to do so by 
means of instruments found in a chest that was among the 
loot brought in from the battle-field. I repeated my story 
to him, as to how I had acquired the knowledge from being 
in the service of a white hakim from Cairo who was travel- 
ling in the desert, and that I had no other medical knowledge 
except that I had seen in the chest a bottle which contained 
stuff like that the white doctors used in order to put a patient 
to sleep, so that they could take off a limb without his feel- 
ing pain. 


288 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


“ ^ I have heard of such things being done by the Turkish 
hakims at Khartoum, but I did not believe them. It is 
against all reason.’ 

“ ‘ I have seen it done, my lord,’ I said. ^ I do not say 
that I could take off a limb as they did, but I am sure that 
the stuff would put anyone to sleep.’ 

“ ‘ I wish you to put it to the trial,’ the Emir said. ^ One 
of my sons came back from the battle with a bullet-hole 
through his hand. The hakim said that two of the bones 
were broken. He put bandages round, and my son said no 
more about it. He is a man who does not complain of slight 
troubles, but yesterday evening the pain became so great 
that he was forced to mention it, and when I examined his 
arm I found that it was greatly swelled. Slaves have been 
bathing it with cold water ever since, but the pain has in- 
creased rather than diminished.’ 

“ ^ I will look at it, my lord, but I greatly fear that it is 
beyond my poor skill to deal with it.’ 

“ The young man was brought in, and on removing the 
bandage I saw that the wound was in a terrible state and 
the arm greatly inflamed some distance up the wrist. It was 
a bad case, and it seemed to me that unless something was 
done mortification would speedily set in. 

“ ‘ The two doctors saw it an hour ago,’ the Emir went on, 

‘ and they greatly fear for his life. They told me that they 
could do nothing, but that as you had seen the white hakim 
do wonderful things you might be able to do something.’ 

‘ My lord,’ I said, ^ it is one thing to watch an operation 
but quite another to perform it yourself. I think, as the 
doctors have told you, your son’s life is in great danger, and 
I do believe that if there were white doctors here to take off 
his arm he might be saved, but I could not undertake it. The 
skill to do so is only acquired by long years of study. How 
canT, a poor man, know how to do such things? Were I to 
attempt and fail, what would you say? — that I had killed 
your son, and that but for me he might have recovered,’ 


A HAKIM 


289 


^ He will not recover,’ the Emir said moodily. ‘ What 
say you, Abu? You have heard what this man says; what 
do you think ? ’ 

“ ‘ I think. Father, that it were well to try. This man has 
used his eyes so well that he has taken the white man’s instru- 
ments and drawn out bullets from wounds. I feel as if this 
wound will kill me ; therefore, if the man fails I shall be none 
the worse. Indeed, it would be better to die at once than 
to feel this fire burning till it burns me up.’ 

“ ^ You hear what my son says? I am of the same opinion. 
Do your best. Should you fail, I swear by the head of the 
Prophet that no harm shall come to you.’ 

The wounded man was a fine young fellow of three or 
four and twenty. 

“ ^ If it is my lord’s will, I will try,’ I said ; ^ but I pray 
you to bear in mind that I do so at your command, and with- 
out much hope of accomplishing it successfully. It would, 
I think, be advisable that the limb should be taken off above 
the elbow, so that it will be above the spot to which the in- 
flammation has extended.’ 

“ The Emir looked at his son, who said : ‘ It matters not. 
Father, ’tis but my left arm, and I shall still have my right 
to hurl a spear or wield a sword.’ 

“ I need not tell how I got through the operation. Every- 
thing required for it — the inhaler, sponges, straight and 
crooked needles, and thread — ^was in the chest. The young 
Arab objected to be sent to sleep. He said it might be well 
for cowards, but not for a fighting man. I had to assure him 
that it was not for his sake but for my own that I wished 
him to go to sleep, and that if I knew he was not suffering 
pain I might be able to do the thing without my hand trem- 
bling ; but that if I knew he was suffering I should be flurried. 
I insisted that the hakims should be sent for. When they 
came I called them to witness that, at the Emir’s command, 
I was going to try to do the operation I had seen the white 
doctor perform, although I was but au ignorant man and 
feared greatly that I might fail. 


290 WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAH 

“I really was desperately nervous, though at the same 
time I did feel that having seen the operation performed 
two or three times, and as it was a simple one, I ought to be 
able to do it. Of course I had everything laid handy. The 
tourniquet was first put on the arm and screwed tightly. 
Then I administered the chloroform, which took its effect 
speedily. My nerves were braced up now, and I do think 
I made a fair job of it — finding and tying up the arteries, 
cutting and sawing the bone off, and making a flap; a few 
stitches to keep this together and it was done, and to my 
relief the Arab, who had lain as rigid as a statue, winced a 
little when the last stitch was put in. This was the point 
on which I had been most anxious. I was not sure whether 
the amount of chloroform he had inhaled might not have 
been too strong for him. 

“ ‘ Do not try to move,’ I said, as he opened his eyes and 
looked round, as if trying to remember where he was. 

As his eyes fell upon me he said, ^ When are you going 
to begin ? ’ 

“ ‘ I have finished,’ I said, ^ but you must lie quiet for some 
time; the slightest movement now might cause the flow of 
blood to burst out.’ 

'^The Emir had stood staring at his son’s quiet face, as 
if amazed beyond the power of speech. Four Dervishes had 
held the patient’s limbs so as to prevent any accidental move- 
ment. A female slave had held a large basin of warm water, 
and another handed me the things I pointed to. I had 
begged the hakims to keep their attention fixed on what I 
was doing, in order that these also might see how the white 
doctor did such things. When his son spoke the Emir gave 
a gasp of relief. ^ hie lives,’ he murmured, as if even now 
he could scarcely believe that this was possible, and as he put 
his hand upon my shoulder it trembled with emotion. ^ Truly 
the ways of the white infidels are marvellous. Abu, my son, 
Allah has been merciful! He must have meant that you 
should not die, and thus have sent this man, who has seen the 


A HAKIM 291 

white hakims at work, to save your life ! What is to be done 
now ? ’ he went on, turning to me. 

‘ He should be raised very gently, and clothes put under 
his shoulder and head; then he should be carried on the 
angareb to the coolest place in the house. He may drink a 
little juice of fruit, but he had best eat nothing. The great 
thing is to prevent fever coming on. With your permission 
I will stay with him, for if one of the threads you saw me 
tie round these little white tubes in the arm should slip or 
give way, he would be dead in five minutes, unless this 
machine round the arm is tightened at once and the tube 
that carries the blood is tied up. It would be well that he 
should have a slave to fan him. I hope he will sleep.^ 

“ The Emir gave orders for the bed to be carried to the 
room adjoining his harem. 

‘ His mother and his young wife will want to see him, 
he said to me, ^ and when the danger that you speak of is 
past, the women will care for him. You will be master in 
the room, and will give such orders as you please.’ 

“ Then he turned off and walked hastily away. I could see 
that he had spoken with difficulty, and that, in spite of his 
efforts to appear composed and tranquil, his mouth was 
twitching and his eyes moist. 

“ As soon as the bed had been placed by my directions near 
the open window, the four Dervishes left the room. The 
hakims were on the point of doing so, when I said: 

“ ‘ I will stay here for a few minutes, and will then come 
out and talk this matter over with you. I have been fortu- 
nate indeed in remembering so well what I saw. I heard a 
white hakim explain how he did each thing, and why, to the 
sheik of the wounded man’s party, and I will tell you what 
I remember of it, and you, with your wisdom in these mat- 
ters, will be able to do it far better than I.’ 

“ When they had retired, the door leading into the harem 
opened, and a woman, slightly veiled, followed by a younger 
woman and two slave girls, came in. I stopped her as she 
was hurrying towards her son. 


292 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 


“^Lady/ I said, ‘I pray you to speak very quietly, and 
in few words. It is most important that he should not be 
excited in any way, but should be kept perfectly quiet for 
the next two or three days.’ 

“ ' I will do so,’ she said. ' May I touch him ? ’ 

‘ You may take his hand in yours, but do not let him 
move. I will leave you with him for a few minutes. Please 
remember that everything depends upon his not being agi- 
tated.’ 

“I went out and joined the hakims. 

Truly, Mudil, Allah has given you strange gifts,’ one 
of them said. ‘ Wonderful is it that you should have remem- 
bered so well what you saw, and more wonderful still is it 
that you should have the firmness to cut and saw fiesh and 
bone as if they were those of a dead sheep, with the Emir 
standing by to look at you ! ’ 

“ ‘ I knew that his life, and perhaps mine, depended upon 
it. The Emir would have kept his oath I doubt not, but 
when it became known in the town that Abu, who is known 
to all for his bravery and goodness, died in my hands, it 
would not have been safe for me to leave this house.’ 

‘‘I then explained the reason for each step that I took. 
They listened most attentively, and asked several questions, 
showing that they were intensely interested, and most anx- 
ious to be able to perform so wonderful an operation them- 
selves. They were greatly surprised at the fact that so little 
blood flowed. 

‘ It seems,’ I said, ^ from what I heard the white hakim 
say, that the blood flowed through those little white tubes. * 
By twisting the tourniquet very tight that flow of blood is 
stopped. The great thing is to find those little tubes, and 
tie them up. As you would notice, the large ones in the in- 
side of the arm could be seen quite plainly. When they 
cannot be seen, the screw is unloosed so as to allow a small 
quantity of blood to flow, which shows you where the tubes j 
are. You will remember that I took hold of each with the 



A HAKIM 


293 


bent point of a small wire or a pair of these nippers, and, 
while you held it, tied the thread tightly round it. When 
that is done, one is ready to cut the bone. You saw me push 
the flesh back so as to cut the bone as high up as possible; 
that is because the white doctor said the flesh would shrink 
up and the bone would project. I cut the flesh straight on 
one side, and on the other with a flap that will, when it is 
stitched, cover over the bone and the rest of the flesh, and 
make what the hakim called a pad. He said all cutting-ofl 
of limbs was done in this way, but of course the tubes would 
not lie in the same place, and the cutting would have to be 
made differently; but it was all the same system. He called 
these simple operations, and said that anyone with a Arm 
hand and a knowledge of where these tubes lie ought to be 
able to do it after seeing it done once or twice. He said, 
of course, it would not be so neatly done as by men who had 
been trained to it, but that in cases of extreme necessity any- 
one who had seen it done once or twice, and had sufficient 
nerve, could do it, especially if they had ready at hand this 
stuff that makes the wounded man sleep and feel no pain. 
I listened very attentively, because all seemed to me almost 
like magic, but I certainly did not think that I should ever 
have to do such a thing myself.’ 

“ ^ But what would be done if they had not that sleep- 
medicine ? ’ 

^ The hakim said that in that case the wounded man 
would have to be fastened down by bandages to the bed and 
held hy six strong men, so that he could not move in the 
slightest. However, there is enough of that stuff to last a 
hundred times or more, for, as you see, only a good-sized 
spoonful was used.’ 

The Emir, who had passed through the harem rooms, 
now opened the door. 

^ Come in,’ he said. ‘ My son is quiet, and has not moved. 
He has spoken to his mother, and seems quite sensible. Is 
there, anything more for you to do to him ? ’ 


294 


WITH KITCHENEH IN THE SOUDAN 


“ ‘ I will put a bandage loosely round his arm, and bind it 
to his body so that he cannot move it in his sleep or on first 
waking. It will not be necessary for me to stay with him, 
as the ladies of the harem can look after him; but I must 
remain in the next room, so as to be ready to run in at once 
should they see that the wound is bleeding again. I have 
asked the hakims to make a soothing potion to aid him to 
sleep long and soundly.’ 

As I went up to the side of the hed Abu smiled. I bent 
down to him, and he said in a low voice: 

“ ^ All the pain has gone. May Allah bless you ! ’ 

^ I am afraid that you will feel more pain to-morrow, 
but I do not think it will be so bad as it was before. How, 
I hope you will try to go to sleep. You will be well looked 
after, and I shall be in the next room if you want me. The 
hakims will give you a soothing draught soon, and you can 
have cool drinks when you want them.’ 

“ Things went on as well as I could have wished. In four 
or five days the threads came away, and I loosened the tour- 
niquet slightly and strapped up the edges of the wound, 
which were already showing signs of healing. For the first 
twenty-four hours I had remained always on watch; after 
that the hakims took their turns, I remaining in readiness 
to tighten up the tourniquet should there be any rush of 
blood. I did not leave the Emir’s house, but slept in a room 
close by that of the patient. There was now, however, no 
longer need for my doing so; the splendid constitution of 
the young Baggara had indeed from the first rendered any 
attendance unnecessary. There was no fever and very little 
local inflammation, and I was able to gladden his heart by 
telling him that in another fortnight he would be able to 
be up. 

The day I was intending to leave, the Emir sent for me. 
He was alone. 

^ The more I think over this matter,’ he said, ‘ the more 
strange it is that you should be able to do all these wonderful 


A HAKIM 


295 


things after having seen it done once by the white hakim; 
the more I think of it, the more certain I feel that you are 
not what you seem. I have sent for Saleh and Abdullah. 
They have told me what you did for them, and that you gave 
up your horse to them, and dressed their wounds, and brought 
them in here. They are full of praise of your goodness, and 
but few of my people would have thus acted for strangers. 
They would have given them a drink of water, and ridden 
on. Now, tell me frankly and without fear. I have thought 
it over, and I feel sure that you yourself are a white hakim 
who escaped from the battle in which Hicks’s army was de- 
stroyed.’ 

^ I am not a hakim. All that I said was true — that 
although I have seen operations performed, I have never per- 
formed them myself. As to the rest, I answer you frankly, 
I am an Englishman. I did escape when the black Soudanese 
battalion surrendered three days after the battle. I was not 
a fighting officer ; I was with them as interpreter. I may say 
that though I am not a hakim, I did for some time study 
with the intention of becoming one, and so saw many opera- 
tions performed.’ 

“ ^ I am glad that you told me,’ the Emir said gravely. 
‘Your people are brave and very wise, though they cannot 
stand against the power of the Mahdi. But were you Sheitan 
himself it would be nothing to me. You have saved my son’s 
life. You are the honoured guest of my house. Your relig- 
ion is different from mine, but as you showed that you were 
willing to aid followers of the Prophet and the Mahdi, 
although they were your enemies, surely I, for whom you 
have done so much, may well forget that difference.’ 

“ ‘ I thank you, Emir ; from what I had seen of you I felt 
sure that my secret would be safe with you. We Christians 
feel no enmity against followers of Mahomet — the hatred is 
all on your side. And yet, ’tis strange, the Allah that you 
worship and the God of the Christians is one and the same. 
Mahomet himself had no enmity against the Christians, and 


296 


WITH KITCHEHi!E IH THE SOTJDAH 


regarded our Christ as a great prophet like himself. Our 
Queen reigns in India over many more Mohamedans than 
are ruled by the Sultan of Turkey. They are loyal to her, 
and know that under her sway no difference is made between 
them and her Christian subjects, and have fought as bravely 
for her as her own white troops.’ 

‘ I had never thought,’ the Emir said, ^ that the time 
would come when I should call an infidel my friend ; but now 
that I can do so, I feel that there is much in what you say. 
However, your secret must be kept. Were it known that 
you are a white man you would be torn to pieces in the 
streets; and even were you to remain here, where assuredly 
none would dare touch you, the news would speedily travel 
to my lord the Mahdi, and he would send a troop of horse to 
bring you to him. Therefore, though I would fain honour 
you, I see that it is best that you should, to all save myself, 
continue to be Mudil. I will not even, as I would otherwise 
have done, assign you a house, and slaves, and horses in token 
of my gratitude to you for having saved the life of my son. 
Something I must do, or I should seem utterly ungrateful. 
I can at any rate give you rooms here and treat you as an 
honoured guest. This would excite no remark, as it would 
be naturally expected that you would stay here until my son 
is perfectly cured. I shall tell no one, not even my wife; 
but Abu I will tell, when he is cured, and the secret will be 
as safe with him as with me. I think it would please him 
to know. Although a Baggara like myself, and as brave as 
any, he is strangely gentle in disposition; and though ready 
and eager to fight when attacked by other tribes, he does not 
care to go on expeditions against villages which have not 
acknowledged the power of the Mahdi, and makes every ex- 
cuse to avoid doing so. It will please him to know that the 
man who has saved his life is one who, although of a different 
race and religion, is willing to do kindness to an enemy, and 
will love and honour you more for knowing it.’ 

‘ I thank you deeply, Emir, and anything that I can do 


A HAKIM 


297 


for members of your family I shall be glad to do. I have a 
knowledge of the usages of many of the drugs in the chest 
that was brought here. I have not dared to say so before, 
because I could not have accounted for knowing such things.’ 

‘‘So at present I am installed in the Emir’s palace, and 
my prospects grow brighter and brighter. After the great 
victory the Mahdi has won, it is likely that he will be em- 
boldened to advance against Khartoum. In that case he will 
no doubt summon his followers from all parts, and I shall 
be able to ride with the Emir or his son, and it will be hard 
if, when we get near the city, I cannot find some opportunity 
of slipping off and making my way there. Whether it will 
be prudent to do so is another question, for I doubt whether 
the Egyptian troops there will offer any resolute resistance 
to the Dervish hosts; and in that case I should have to en- 
deavour to make my way down to Dongola, and from there 
either by boat or by the river bank to Assouan. 

“A month later. I have not written for some time, be- 
cause there has been nothing special to put down. All the 
little details of the life here cati be told to my dear wife, 
if I should ever see her again, but they are not of sufficient 
interest to write down. I have been living at the Emir’s 
house ever since. I do not know what special office I am 
supposed to occupy in his household — that is, what office the 
people in general think that I hold. In fact, I am his guest, 
and an honoured one. When he goes out I ride beside him 
and Abu, who has now sufficiently recovered to sit his horse. 
I consider myself as medical attendant in ordinary to him 
and his family. I have given up all practice in the town — 
in the first place because I do not wish to make enemies of 
the two doctors, who really seem very good fellows, and I am 
glad to find that they have performed two or three operations 
successfully; and in the second place, were I to go about 
trying to cure the sick, people would get so interested in 
me that I should be continually questioned as to how I at- 
tained my marvellous skill. Happily, though no doubt they 


298 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


must have felt somewhat jealous at my success with Abu, 
I have been able to do the hakims some service, put fees into 
their pockets, and at ^he same time benefited poor people 
here. I have told them that, just as I recognized the bottle 
of chloroform, so I have recognized some of the bottles from 
which the white hakims used to give powder to sick people. 

^ For instance,’ I said, ^ you see this bottle, which is of a dif- 
ferent shape from the others. It is full of a white, feathery- 
looking powder. They used to give this to people suffering 
from fever — about as much as you could put on your nail for 
men and women, and half as much for children. They used 
to put it in a little water, and stir it up, and give it to them 
night and morning. They call it kena, or something like 
that. It did a great deal of good, and generally drove away 
the fever. This other bottle they also used a good deal. 
They put a little of its contents in water and it made a lotion 
for weak and sore eyes. They called it zing. They saw I 
was a careful man, and I often made the eye-wash and put 
the other white powder up into little packets when they were 
busy, as fever and ophthalmia are the two most common com- 
plaints among the natives.’ 

“ The hakims were immensely pleased, and both told me 
afterwards that both these medicines had done wonders. I 
told them that I thought there were some more bottles of 
these medicines in the chest, and that when they had finished 
those I had now given them I would look out for the others. 
I had, in fact, carried off a bottle both of quinine and zinc 
powder for my own use, and with the latter I greatly bene- 
fited several of the Emir’s children and grand-children, all 
of whom were suffering from ophthalmia, or from sore eyes 
that would speedily have developed that disease if they had 
not been attended to. I had only performed one operation, 
which was essentially a minor one. Abu told me that his 
wife, of whom he was very fond, was suffering very great pain 
from a tooth — could I cure her? 

I said that without seeing the tooth I could not do any- 


A HAKIM 


m 


thing, and he at once said : ‘ As it is for her good, Mudil, 
I will bring her into this room, and she shall nnveil so that 
you can examine the tooth/ She was quite a girl, and for 
an Arab very good-looking. She and the Emir’s wife were 
continually sending me out choice bits from their dinner, 
but I had not before seen her face. She was evidently a 
good deal confused at thus unveiling before a man, but Abu 
said: ^It is with my permission that you unveil, therefore 
there can be no harm in it. Besides, has not Mudil saved 
my life, and so become my brother ? ’ He opened her mouth ; 
the tooth was far back and broken, and the gum was greatly 
swelled: 

“ ^ It is very bad,’ I said to Abu. . ^ It would hurt her terri- 
bly if I were to try and take it out, but if she will take the 
sleeping medicine I gave you I think that I could do it.’ 

“ ^ Then she shall take it,’ he said at once. ^ It is not un- 
pleasant; on the contrary, I dreamt a pleasant dream while 
you were taking off my arm. Please do it at once.’ 

“ I at once fetched the chloroform, the inhaler, and a pair 
of forceps which looked well suited for the purpose, and 
probably were intended for it. I then told her to lie down 
on the angarbb, which I placed close to the window. 

‘‘^How, Abu,’ I said, ^directly she has gone off to sleep 
you must force her mouth open and put the handle of your 
dagger between her teeth. It will not hurt her at all. But 
I cannot get at the tooth Unless the mouth is open, and we 
cannot open it until she is asleep, for the whole side of her 
face is swollen and the jaw almost stiff.’ 

The chloroform took effect very quickly. Her husband 
had some difficulty in forcing the mouth open. When he had 
once done so, I took a firm hold of the tooth and wrenched 
it out. 

^ You can withdraw the dagger,’ I said, ^ and then lift her 
up and let her rinse her mouth well with the warm water 
I brought in. She will have little pain afterwards, though 
of course it will take some little time before the swelling 
goes down.’ 


300 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

“ Then I went out and left them together. In a few min- 
utes Abu came out. 

“ ‘ She has no pain/ he said. ^ She could hardly believe, 
when she came round, that the tooth was out. It is a relief 
indeed. She has cried day and night for the past three 
days.’ 

“ ‘ Tell her that for the rest of the day she had better keep 
quiet and. go to sleep if possible, which I have no doubt she 
will do, as she must be worn out with the pain she has been 
suffering.’ 

“ ‘ I begin to see, Mudil, that we are very ignorant. We 
can fight, but that is all we are good for. How much better 
it would be if, instead of regarding you white men as enemies, 
we could get some of you to live here and teach us the won- 
derful things that you know ! ’ 

“ ^ Truly it would be better,’ I said. ‘ It all depends upon 
yourselves. You have a great country. If you would but 
treat the poor people here well, and live in peace with other 
tribes, and send word down to Cairo that you desire above 
all things white hakims and others who would teach you, to 
come up and settle among you, assuredly they would come. 
There are thousands of white men and women working in 
India, and China, and other countries, content to do good, 
not looking for high pay, but content to live poorly. The 
difficulty is not in getting men willing to heal and to teach, 
but to persuade those whom they would benefit to allow them 
to do the work.’ 

“ Abu shook his head. 

“ ‘ That is it,’ he said. ^ I would rather be able to do such 
things as you do, than be one of the most famous soldiers 
of the Mahdi ; but I could never persuade others. They say 
that the Mahdi himself, although he is hostile to the Turks, 
and would conquer Egypt, would willingly befriend white 
men. But even he, powerful as he is, cannot go against the 
feelings of his emirs. Must we always be ignorant? Must 
we always be fighting? I can see no way out of it. Can 
you, Mudil?’ 


A HAKIM 


301 


^ I can see but one way/ I said, ^ and that may seem to 
you impossible, because you know nothing of the strength 
of England. We have, as you know, easily beaten the Egyp- 
tian Army, and we are now protectors of Egypt. If you 
invade that country, as the Mahdi has already threatened 
to do, it is we who will defend it; and if there is no other 
way of obtaining peace, we shall some day send an army to 
recover the Soudan. You will fight, and you will fight des- 
perately, but you have no idea of the force that will advance 
against you. You know how Osman Digna’s tribes on the 
Red Sea have been defeated, not by the superior courage of 
our men, but by our superior arms. And so it will be here. 
It may he many years before it comes about, but if you insist 
on war that is what will come. Then, when we have taken 
the Soudan, there will come peace, and the peasant will till 
his soil in safety; those who desire to be taught will be 
taught; great canals from the Nile will irrigate the soil, and 
the desert will become fruitful.’ 

‘‘^You really think that would come of it?’ Abu asked 
earnestly. 

“ ^ I do, indeed, Abu. We have conquered many brave 
peoples, far more numerous than yours; and those who were 
our bitterest enemies now see how they have benefited by it. 
Certainly England would not undertake the cost of such an 
expedition lightly, but if she is driven to it by your advance 
against Egypt she will assuredly do so. Your people — I 
mean the Baggaras and their allies — would suffer terribly; 
but the people whom you have conquered, whose villages you 
have burned, whose women you have carried off, would 
rejoice.’ 

“ ^ We would fight,’ Abu said passionately. 

“ ‘ Certainly you would fight, and fight gallantly, but it 
would not avail you. Besides, Abu, you would be fighting 
for that ignorance you have just regretted, and against the 
teaching and progress you have wished for.’ 

^ It is hard,’ Abu said quietly. 


302 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


‘ It is hard, but it has been the fate of all people who have 
resisted the advance of knowledge and civilization. Those 
who accept civilization as the people of India — of whom 
there are many more than in all Africa — have accepted it, 
are prosperous. In America and other great countries far 
beyond the seas the native Indians opposed it, but in vain; 
and now a great white race inhabit the land, and there is but 
a handful left of those who opposed them.’ 

^ These things are hard to understand. If, as you say, 
your people come here some day to fight against us, I shall 
fight. If my people are defeated, and I am still alive, I shall 
say it is the will of Allah ; let us make the best of it, and try 
to learn to be like those who have conquered us. I own to 
you that I am sick of bloodshed — not of blood shed in battle, 
but the blood of peaceful villagers; and though I grieve for 
my own people, I should feel that it was for the good of the 
land that the white men had become the masters.’ ” 


CHAPTER XIX 

THE LAST PAGE 

“ 1^ HARTOUM, September 3d, 1884. — ^It is a long time 
since I made my last entry. I could put no date to it 
then, and till yesterday could hardly even have named the 
month. I am back again among friends, but I can hardly say 
that I am safer here than I was at El Obeid. I have not 
written, because there was nothing to write. One day was 
like another, and as my paper was finished, and there were 
no incidents in my life, I let the matter slide. Again and 
again I contemplated attempting to make my way to this 
town, but the difficulties would be enormous. There were 
the dangers of the desert, the absence of wells, the enormous 
probability of losing my way, and, most of all, the chance 
that before I reached Khartoum it would have been captured. 


THE LAST PAGE 


303 


The Emir had been expecting news of its fall for months. 
There had been several fights, in some of which they had been 
victorious; in others, even according to their own accounts, 
they had been worsted. Traitors in the town kept them well 
informed of the state of supplies; they declared that these 
were almost exhausted, and that the garrison must surrender ; 
indeed, several of the commanders of bodies of troops had 
offered to surrender posts held by them. So I had put aside 
all hope of escape, and decided not to make any attempt until 
after Khartoum fell, when the Dervishes boasted they would 
march down and conquer Egypt to the sea. 

“ They had already taken Berber ; Dongola was at their 
mercy. I thought the best chance would be to go down with 
them as far as they went, and then to slip away. In this 
way I should shorten the journey I should have to traverse 
alone, and being on the river bank, could at least always ob- 
tain water. Besides, I might possibly secure some small 
native boat, and with the help of the current get down to 
Assouan before the Dervishes could arrive there. This I 
should have attempted, but three weeks ago an order came 
from the Mahdi to El Khatim, ordering him to send to Om- 
durman five hundred well-armed men, who were to be com- 
manded by his son Abu. Khatim was to remain at El Obeid 
with the main body of his force until further orders. Abu 
came to me at once with the news. 

^^^You will take me with you, Abu,’ I exclaimed. ‘This 
is the chance I have been hoping for. Once within a day’s 
journey of Khartoum I could slip away at night, and it would 
be very hard if I could not manage to cross the Nile into 
Khartoum.’ 

“ ‘ I will take you if you wish it,’ he said. ‘ The danger 
will be very great, not in going with me, but in making your 
way into Khartoum.’ 

“ ‘ It does not seem to me that it would be so,’ I said. ‘ I 
should strike the river four or five miles above the town, cut 
a bundle of rushes, swim out to the middle of the river, drift 
down till I was close to the town, and then swim across.’ 


304 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


“ ‘ So be it,’ he said. ‘ It is your will, not mine.’ Khatim 
came to me afterwards and .advised me to stay, but I said 
that it might be years before I had another chance to escape, 
and that whatever risk there was I would prefer running it. 

“ ^ Then we shall see you no more,’ he said, ^ for Khartoum 
will assuredly fall and you will be killed.’ 

^ If you were a prisoner in the hands of the white soldiers, 
Emir,’ I said, ‘I am sure that you would run any risk if 
there was a chance of getting home again. So it is with me. 
I have a wife and child in Cairo. Her heart must be sick 
with pain at the thought of my death. I will risk anything 
to get back as soon as possible. If I reach Khartoum and it 
is afterwards captured, I can disguise myself and appear as 
I now am, hide for a while, and then find out where Abu is 
and join him again. But perhaps when he sees that no 
further resistance can be made. General Gordon will embark 
on one of his steamers and go down the river, knowing that 
it would be better for the people of the town that the Mahdi 
should enter without opposition, in which case you would 
scarcely do harm to the peaceful portion of the population, 
or to the troops who had laid down their arms.’ 

««yery well,’ the Emir said. ‘Abu has told me that he 
has tried to dissuade you, but that you will go. We owe you 
a great debt of gratitude for all that you have done for us, 
and therefore I will not try to dissuade you. I trust Allah 
will protect you.’ 

“ And so we started 4:he next morning. I rode by the side 
of Abu, and as all knew that I was the hakim who had taken 
ofi his arm, none wondered. The journey was made without 
any incident worth recording. Abu did not hurry. We 
made a long march between each of the wells, and then halted 
for a day. So we journeyed until we made our last halt 
before arriving at Omdurman. 

“‘You are still determined to go?’ Abu said to me. 

“ ‘ I shall leave to-night, my friend.’ 

“ ‘ I shall not forget aU that you have told me about your 


THE LAST PAGE 


305 


people, hakim. Should any white man fall into my hands I 
will spare him for your sake. These are evil times, and I 
regret all that has passed. I believe that the Mahdi is a 
prophet, but I fear that in many things he has misunderstood 
the visions and orders he received. I see that evil rather 
than good has fallen upon the land, and that though we loved 
not the rule of the Egyptians we were all better off under it 
than we are now. We pass through ruined villages and see 
the skeletons of many people. We know that where the 
water-wheels formerly spread the water from the rivers over 
the fields, is now a desert, and that, except the fighting men, 
the people perish from hunger. All this is bad. I see that if 
we enter Egypt we shall be like a flight of locusts, we shall 
eat up the country and leave a desert behind us. Surely this 
cannot be according to the wishes of Allah, who is all-merci- 
ful. You have taught me much in your talks with me, and 
I do not see things as I used to. So much do I feel it, that 
in my heart I could almost wish that your countrymen 
should come here and establish peace and order. The Mo- 
hamedans of India, you tell me, are well content with their 
rulers; men may exercise their religion and their customs 
without hindrance; they know that the strong cannot prey 
upon the weak, and each man reaps what he has sown in 
peace. You tell me that India was like the Soudan before 
you went there — that there were great conquerors, constant 
wars, and the peasants starved while the robbers grew rich; 
and that under your rule peace and contentment were re- 
stored. I would that it could be so here. But it seems to 
me impossible that we should be conquered by people so far 
away.’ 

“ ‘ I hope that it will be so, Abu ; and I think that if the 
great and good white general. Governor Gordon, is murdered 
at Khartoum, the people of my country will never rest until 
his death has been avenged.’ 

‘ You had better take your horse,’ he said. ^ If you were 
to go on foot it would be seen thaf there was a horse without 


306 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

a rider, and there would be a search for you; but if you and 
your horse are missing it will be supposed that you have 
ridden on to Omdurman to give notice of our coming, and 
none will think more of the matter.’ 

As soon as the camp was asleep I said good-bye to Abu, 
and took my horse by the reins and led him into the desert 
half a mile away, then I mounted and rode fast. The stars 
were guide enough, and in three hours I reached the Nile. 
I took off the horse’s saddle and bridle and left him to him- 
self, then I crept out and cut a bundle of rushes, and swam 
into the stream with them. After floating down the river 
for an hour I saw the light of a few flres on the right bank, 
and guessed that this was a Dervish force beleaguering 
Khartoum from that side. I drifted on for another hour, 
drawing closer and closer to the shore until I could see walls 
and forts; then I stripped off my Dervish frock and swam 
ashore. I had, during the time we had been on the journey, 
abstained from staining my skin under my garments, in order 
that I might be recognized as a white man as soon as I bared 
my arms. 

‘‘I lay down till it was broad daylight, and then walked 
up to the foot of a redoubt. There were shouts of surprise 
from the black soldiers there as I approached. I shouted to 
them in Arabic that I was an Englishman, and two or three 
of them at once ran down the slope and aided me to climb it. 
I was taken, at my request, to General Gordon, who was 
surprised indeed when I told him that I was a survivor of 
Hicks’s force and had been living nine months at El Obeid. 

‘ You are heartily welcome, sir,’ he said; ‘ but I fear that 
you have come into an even greater danger than you have 
left, for our position here is well-nigh desperate. For months 
I have been praying for aid from England, and my last news 
was that it was just setting out, so I fear there is no hope 
that it will reach me in time. The government of England 
will have to answer before God for their desertion of me, 
and of, the jJoor people, here whom they sent me to protect 




THE LAST PAGE 


307 


from the Mahdi. For myself I am content. I have done 
my duty as far as lay in my power, but I had a right to rely 
upon receiving support from those who sent me. I am in 
the hands of God. But for the many thousands who trusted 
in me and remained here I feel very deeply. Now the first 
thing is to provide you with clothes. I am expecting Colonel 
Stewart here every minute, and he will see that you are made 
comfortable.’ 

‘ I shall be glad to place myself at your disposal, sir,’ I 
said. ^ I speak Arabic fiuently, and shall be ready to perform 
any service of which I may be capable.’ 

“ ‘ I thank you,’ he said, ^ and will avail myself of your 
offer if I see any occasion; but at present we have rather to 
suffer than to do. We have occasional fights, but of late the 
attacks have been feeble, and I think that the Mahdi depends 
upon hunger rather than force to obtain possession of this 
town. This evening I will ask you to tell me your story. 
Colonel Stewart will show you a room. There is only one 
other white man — Mr. Power — here. We live together as 
one family, of which you will now be a member.’ 

“ I felt strange when I came to put on my European 
clothes. Mr. Power, who tells me he has been here for some 
years as correspondent of the Times, has this afternoon taken 
me round the defences and into the workshops. I think the 
place can resist any attacks if the troops remain faithful, 
but of this there is a doubt. A good many of the Soudanese 
have already been sent away. As Gordon said at dinner this 
evening, if he had but a score of English officers he would 
be perfectly confident that he could resist any enemy save 
starvation. 

September 12th . — It has been settled that Colonel Stew- 
art and Mr. Power are to go down the river in the Abbas, 
and I am to go with them. The General proposed it to me. 

I said that I could not think of leaving him here by himself, 
so he said kindly : ^ I thank you, Mr. 
do no good here, and would only 

i^ANLluc 


308 


WITH KITCHENEE IN THE SOUDAN 


We can hold on to the end of the year, though the pinch 
will be very severe; but I think we can make the stores last 
till then. But by the end of December our last crust will 
have been eaten, and the end will have come. It will be a 
satisfaction to me to know that I have done my best, and 
fail only because of the miserable delays and hesitation oi 
government.^ So it is settled that I am going. The gun- 
boats are to escort us for some distance. Were it not for 
Gordon I should feel delighted at the prospect. It is horri- 
ble to leave him — one of the noblest Englishmen ! — alone to 
his fate. My only consolation is, that if I remained I could 
not avert it, but should only be a sharer in it. 

September 18th . — We left Khartoum on the 14th and 
came down without any serious trouble until this morning, 
when the boat struck on a rock in the cataract opposite a 
village called Hebbeh. A hole has been knocked in her bot- 
tom, and there is not a shadow of hope of getting her off. 
Numbers of the natives have gathered on the shore. I have 
advised that we should disregard their invitations to land, 
but that, as there would be no animosity against the black 
crew, they would be safe; and that we three whites should 
take the ship’s boat and four of the crew, put provisions for 
a week on board, and make our way down the river. Colonel 
Stewart, however, feels convinced that the people can be 
trusted, and that we had better land and place ourselves under 
the protection of the sheik. He does not know the Arabs as 
well as I do. However, as he has determined to go ashore, 
I can do nothing. I< consider it unlikely in the extreme that 
there will be any additions to this journal. If at any time 
in the future this should fall into the hands of any of my 
countrymen, I pray that they will send it down to my dear 
wife, Mrs. Hilliard, whom, I pray, God may bless and com- 
fort, care of the Manager of the Bank, Cairo.” 


A MOMENTOUS COMMUNICATION 


309 


CHAPTER XX 

A MOMENTOUS COMMUNICATION 

G regory had, after finishing the record, sat without 
moving until the dinner-hour. It was a relief to him 
to know that his father had not spent the last years of his life 
as he had feared, as a miserable slave — ill-treated, reviled, 
insulted, perhaps chained and beaten by some brutal task- 
master; but had been in a position where, save that he was 
an exile, kept from his home and wife, his lot had not been 
unbearable. He knew more of him than he had ever known 
before. It was as a husband that his mother had always 
spoken of him; but here he saw that he was daring, full of 
resource, quick to grasp any opportunity, hopeful and yet 
patient, longing eagerly to rejoin his wife, and yet content 
to wait until the chances should be all in his favour. He 
was unaffectedly glad thus to know him, to be able in future 
to think of him as one of whom he would have been proud, 
who would assuredly have won his way to distinction. 

It was not so that he had before thought of him. His 
mother had said that he was of good family, and that it was 
on account of his marriage with her that he had quarrelled 
with his relations. It had always seemed strange to him that 
he should have been content to take, as she had told him, an 
altogether subordinate position in a mercantile house in 
Alexandria. She had accounted for his knowledge of Arabic 
by the fact that he had been for two years exploring the tem- 
ples and tombs of Egypt with a learned professor ; but surely, 
as a man of good family, he could have found something to 
do in England instead of coming out to take so humble a post 
in Egypt. Gregory knew nothing of the difficulty that a 
young man in England has in obtaining an appointment of 
any kind or of fighting his way single-handed. Influence 
went for much in Egypt, and it seemed to him that even if 


310 


WITH KITCHENEB IN' THE SOUDAN- 


his father had quarrelled with his own people there must have 
been many ways open to him of maintaining himself honour- 
ably. Therefore he had always thought that although he 
might have been all that his mother described him — the 
tenderest and most loving of husbands, a gentleman, and 
estimable in all respects — his father must have been wanting 
in energy and ambition, deficient in the qualities that would 
fit him to fight his own battle, and content to gain a mere 
competence instead of struggling hard to make his way up 
the ladder. 

He had accounted for his going up as interpreter with 
Hicks Pasha by the fact that his work with the contractor 
was at an end, and that he saw no other opening for himself. 
He now understood how mistaken he had been in his estimate 
of his father’s character, and wondered even more than before 
why he should have taken that humble post at Alexandria. 
His mother had certainly told him again and again that he 
had done so simply because the doctors had said that she 
could not live in England; but surely in all the wide empire 
of England there must be innumerable posts that a gentle- 
man could obtain. Perhaps he should understand it better 
some day; at present it seemed unaccountable to him. He 
felt sure that, had he lived, his father would have made a 
name for himself, and that it was in that hope, and not of 
the pay that he would receive as an interpreter, that he had 
gone up with Hicks, and that had he not died at that little 
village by the Nile he would assuredly have done so, for the 
narrative he had left behind him would in itself, if published, 
have shown what stuff there was in him. It was hard that 
fate should have snatched him away just when it had seemed 
that his trials were over, that he was on the point of being 
reunited to his wife. Still, it was a consolation to know he 
had died suddenly, as one falls in battle, not as a slave worn 
out by grief and suffering. 

As he left his hut he said to Zaki, “ I shall not want you 
again this evening, but mind, we must be on the move at 
daylight.” 


A MOMENTOUS COMMUNICATION 311 

^^You did not say whether we were to take the horses, 
master ; but I suppose you will do so ? ” 

“ Oh, I forgot to tell you that we are going to have camels ; 
they are to be put on board for us to-night. They are fast 
camels, and as the distance from the point where we shall 
land to the Atbara will not be more than seventy or eighty 
miles, we shall be able to do it in a day.” 

“ That will be very good, master; camels are much better 
than horses for the desert. I have got everything else ready.” 

After dinner was over, the party broke up quickly, as many 
of the officers had preparations to make. Gregory went off 
to the tent of the officer with whom he was best acquainted 
in the Soudanese regiment. 

“ I thought that I would come and have a chat with you 
if you happened to be in.” 

“ I shall be very glad, but I bar Fashoda; one is quite sick 
of the name.” 

“No, it was not Fashoda that I was going to talk to you 
about ; I want to ask you something about England. I know 
really nothing about it, for I was born in Alexandria shortly 
after my parents came out from England. Is it easy for any- 
one who has been well educated, and who is a gentleman, to 
get employment there? I mean some sort of appointment, 
say, in India or the West Indies.” 

“ Easy ! My dear Hilliard, the camel in the eye of a needle 
is a joke to it. If a fellow is eighteen and has had a first- 
rate education and a good private coach, that is, a tutor, he 
may pass through his examination either for the army, or the 
civil service, or the Indian service. There are about five 
hundred go up to each examination, and seventy or eighty 
at the outside get in; the other four hundred or so are 
chucked. Some examinations are for fellows under nineteen, 
others are open for a year or two longer. Suppose, finally, 
you donT get in ; that is to say, when you are two-and-twenty, 
your chance of getting any appointment whatever in the pub- 
lic service is at an end.” 


'312 


WITH KITCHENER IK THE SOUDAH 


Then interest has nothing to do with it ? ” 

“Well, yes. There are a few berths in the Foreign Office, 
for example, in which a man has to get a nomination before 
going in for the exam. ; but of course the age limit tells there 
as well as in any other.” 

“ And if a man fails altogether what is there open to him ? ” 
The other shrugged his shoulders. “ Well, as far as I know, 
if he hasnT capital he can emigrate, that is what numbers 
of fellows do. If he has interest he can get a commission 
in the militia, and from that possibly into the line, or he can 
enlist as a private for the same object. There is a third 
alternative, he can hang himself. Of course, if he happens 
to have a relation in the city he can get a clerkship, but that 
alternative, I should say, is worse than the third.” 

“ But I suppose he might be a doctor, a clergyman, or a 
lawyer ? ” 

“ I don’t know much about those matters, but I do know 
that it takes about five years’ grinding, and what is called 
^ walking the hospitals,’ that is, going round the wards with 
the surgeons, before one is licensed to kill. I think, but I 
am not sure, that three years at the bar would admit you to 
practice, and usually another seven or eight years are spent 
before you earn a penny. As for the Church, you have to go 
through the. university or one of the places we call training 
colleges ; and when at last you are ordained you may reckon, 
unless you have great family interest, on remaining a curate, 
with perhaps one hundred or one hundred and fifty pounds 
per annum for eighteen or twenty years.” 

“ And no amount of energy will enable a man of, say, f our- 
and-twenty, without a profession, to obtain a post on which 
he could live with some degree of comfort ? ” 

“ I don’t think energy would have anything to do with it. 
You cannot drop into a merchant’s office and say ‘ I want a 
snug berth out in China,’ or ‘ I should like an agency in 
Mesopotamia.’ If you have luck, anything is possible; if 
you haven’t luck, you ought to fall back on my three alterna- 


A MOMENTOUS COMMUNICATION 


313 


tives — emigrate, enlist, or hang yourself. Of course you can 
sponge on your friends for a year or two if you are mean 
enough to do so, but there is an end to that sort of thing in 
time. May I ask why you put the question, Hilliard? You 
have really a splendid opening here ; you are surely not going 
to be foolish enough to chuck it, with the idea of returning 
to England and taking anything that may turn up ? ” 

“No, I am not so foolish as that. I have had, as you say, 
luck — extraordinary luck, and I have quite made up my mind 
to stay in the service. No, I am really asking you because 
I know so little of England that I wondered how men who 
had a fair education but no family interest did get on.” 

“ They very rarely do get on,” the other said. “ Of course 
if they are inventive geniuses they may discover something — 
an engine, for example, that will do twice the work with half 
the consumption of fuel that any other engine will do; or, 
if chemically inclined, they may discover something that will 
revolutionize dyeing, for example: but not one man in a 
thousand is a genius, and as a rule the man you are speaking 
of, the ordinary public-school and Varsity man, if he has no 
interest and is not bent upon entering the army, even as a 
private, emigrates if he. hasn’t sufficient income to live upon 
at home.” 

“ Thank you ! I had no idea it was so difficult to make a 
living in England, or to obtain employment, for a well- 
educated man of two- or three-and-twenty.” 

“ My dear Hilliard, that is the problem that is exercising 
the minds of the whole of the middle class of England with 
sons growing up. Of course men of business can take their 
sons into their own offices and train them to their own pro- 
fession ; but after all, if a man has four or five sons he cannot 
take them all into his office with a view to partnership. He 
may take one, but the others have to make their own way 
somehow.” 

They chatted now upon the war, the dates upon which the 
various regiments would go down, and the chance of the 


314 WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 

Khalifa collecting another army and trying conclusions with 
the invaders again. At last Gregory got up and went back 
to his hut. He could now understand why his father, having 
quarrelled with his family, might have found himself obliged 
to take the first post that was offered, however humble, in 
order to obtain the advantage of a warm climate for his 
wife. 

“ He must have felt it awfully,” he mused. “ If he had 
been the sort of man I had always thought him, he could 
have settled down to the life. But now I know him better 
I can understand that it must have been terrible for him, 
and he would be glad to exchange it for the interpretership, 
where he would have some chance of distinguishing himself, 
or at any rate of taking part in exciting events. I will open 
that packet, but from what my mother said I do not think 
it will be of any interest to me now. I fancy, by what she 
said, that it contained simply my father^s instructions as to 
what she was to do in the event of his death during the cam- 
paign. I don’t see what else it can be.” 

He drew the curtains he had rigged up at the doorway and 
window to keep out insects, lighted his lantern, and then, 
sitting down on the ground by his bed, opened the packet his 
mother had given him. The outer cover was in her hand- 
writing. 

My dearest hoy^ 

1 have, as I told you, kept the enclosed packet, which 
is not to he opened until 1 have certain news of your father's 
death. This news I trust you will some day obtain. As you 
see, the enclosed packet is directed to me. I do not think that 
you will find in it anything of importance to yourself. It 
probably contains only directions and advice for my guidance 
in case I should determine to return to England. I have been 
the less anxious to open it because I have been convinced that 
it is so; for of course I know the circumstances of his family, 
and there could be nothing new that he could write to me on 
that score. 


A MOMENTOUS COMMUNICATION 


315 


1 have told you that he Quarrelled with his father because he 
s chose to marry me. As you have heard from me, 1 was the 
I daughter of a clergyman, and at his death took a post as 

, governess. Your father fell in love with me. He was the son 

of the Hon. James Hartley, who was brother to the Earl of 
Langdale. Your father had an elder brother. Mr. Hartley 
was a man of the type now happily less common than it was 
twenty years ago. He had but a younger brother's portion and 
I a small estate that had belonged to his mother, but he was as 
; proud as if he had been a peer of the realm and owner of a 
I county. 1 do not know exactly what the law of England is— 
whether at the death of his brother your grandfather would 
I have inherited the title or not. 

j I never talked on this subject with your father, who very 
I seldom alluded to matters at home. He had also two sisters. 
j As he was clever and had already gained some reputation by 

i his explorations in Egypt, and was, moreover, an exception- 

ally handsome man — at least I thought so— your grandfather 
made up his mind that he would make a very good marriage. 
When he learned of your father's affection for me he was abso- 
lutely furious, told his son that he never wished to see him 
again, and spoke of me in a manner that Gregory resented, 
and as a result they quarrelled. 

Your father left the house never to enter it again. I would 
have released him from his promise, but he would not hear of 
it, and we were married. He had written for magazines and 
newspapers on Egyptian subjects, and thought that he could 
make a living for us both with his pen ; but unhappily he 
found that great numbers of men were trying to do the same, 

H and that although his papers on Egyptian discoveries had 
always been accepted, it was quite another thing when he 
t came to write on general subjects. 

I We had a hard time of it, but we were very happy neverthe- 
; less. Then came the time when my health began to give way. 
I had a terrible cough, and the doctor said that I must have 
a change to a warmer climate. We were very poor then — so 
\ poor that we had only a few shillings left, and lived in one 


316 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

room. Your father saw an advertisement for a man to go out 
to the branch of a London firm at Alexandria. Without say- 
ing a word to me he went and obtained it, thanks to his 
knowledge of Arabic. He was getting on well in the firm 
when the bombardment of Alexandria took place. The offices 
and stores of his employers were burned, and as it would take 
many months before they could be rebuilt the employees were 
ordered home, but any who chose to stay were permitted to do 
so, and received three months' pay. Your father saw that 
there would be many chances when the country settled down, 
and so took a post under a contractor of meat for the army. 
We moved to Cairo. Shortly after our arrival there he was, 
as he thought, fortunate in obtaining the appointment of an 
interpreter with Hicks Pasha. I did not try to dissuade him. 
Everyone supposed that the Egyptian troops would easily de- 
feat the Dervishes. There was some danger, of course ; but it 
seemed to me, as it did to him, that this opening would lead 
to better things, and that when the rebellion was put down he 
would be able to obtain some good civil appointment in the 
Soudan. 

It was not the thought of his pay as interpreter that weighed 
in the slightest with either of us. 1 was anxious above all 
things that he should be restored to a position where he could 
associate with gentlemen as one of themselves, and could again 
take his real name. 

Gregory started as he read this. He had never had an idea 
that the name he bore was not rightly his own, and even the 
statement of his grandfather’s name had not struck him as 
affecting himself. 

Your father had an honourable pride in his name, which 
was an old one, and when he took the post at Alexandria, 
iDhich was little above that of an ordinary office messenger, he 
did not care that he should be recognized or that one of his 
name should be known to be occupying such a station. He did 
not change his name, he simply dropped the surname. His 


A MOMENTOUS COMMUNICATION 317 

full name was Gregory Hilliard Hartley. He had always in- 
tended, when he had made a ‘position for himself, to recur to 
it, and of course it will be open to you to do so also ; but I 
know that it would ham been his wish that you, like him, 
should not do so unless you had made such a position for your- 
self that you would be a credit to it. 

On starting, your father left me to decide whether I should 
go home. 1 imagine that the packet merely contains his mews 
on that subject. He knew what mine were. 1 would rather 
ham begged my bread than ham gone back to ask for alms of 
the man who treated his so7i so cruelly. It is probable that by 
this time the old man is dead / but 1 should object as much to 
ham to appeal to my husband's brother, a character I disliked. 
Although he knew that his father's means were small, he was 
extravagant to the last degree, and the old man was weak 
enough to keep himself in perpetual difficulties to satisfy his 
son. Your father looked for no pecuniary assistance ffiom his 
brother, hut the latter inight at least have come to see him 
or written kindly to him when he was in London. As your 
father was writing in his own name for magazines, his ad- 
dress could be easily found out by anyone who wanted to 
know it. 

He never sent one single word to him, and I should object 
quite as much to appeal to him as to the old man. to the 
sisters, who were younger than my husband, they were nice 
girls; but even if your grandfather is dead, and has, as no 
doubt would he the case, left what he had between them, it 
certainly would not amount to much. Your father has told 
me that the old man had moidgaged the estate up to the hilt to 
pay his brother's debts, and that when it came to be sold, as it 
probably would be at his death, there would be very little left 
for the girls. Therefore, certainly I could not go and ask 
them to support us. My hope is, my dear boy, that you may 
be able to 7nake your way here in the same manner as your 
father was doing when he fell, and that same day you may 
attain to an honourable position, in which you will be able, if 
you visit England, to call upon your aunts, not as one who has 


818 


WITH KITCHENEE IN THE SOUDAH 


anything to ask of them, hut as a relative of whom they need 
not feel in any way ashamed. I feel that my end is very near, 
Gregory. 1 hope to say all that 1 have to say to you before it 
comes, but I may not have an opportunity, and in that case 
some time may elapse before you read this, and it will come to 
you as a voice from the grave. I am not in any way wishing 
to bind you to any course of action, but only to explain fully 
your position to you and to tell you my thoughts. Ood bless 
you, my dear boy, prosper and keep youl I know enough of 
you to be sure that, whatever your course may be, you will 
bear yourself as a true gentleman, worthy of your father and 
of the name you bear. 

Your loving Mother. 

Gregory sat for some time before opening the other en- 
closure. It contained an open envelope, on which was written 
“To my Wife,” and three others, also unfastened, addressed 
respectively, “ The Hon. James Hartley, King’s Lawn, Tavi- 
stock, Devon ” ; the second, “ G. Hilliard Hartley, Esq., The 
Albany, Piccadilly, London the third, “ Miss Hartley,” the 
address being the same as that of her father. He first opened 
the one to his mother. 

My dearest Wife, 

I hope that you will never read these lines, but that I 
shall return to you safe and sound — I am writing this in case 
it should be otherwise — and that you will never have occasion 
to read these instructions, or rather I should say this advice, 
for it is no more than that. We did talk the matter over, hut 
you were so wholly averse from any idea of ever appealing to 
my father or family, however sore the straits to which you 
might be reduced, that I could not urge the matter upon you ; 
and yet, although I sympathize most thoroughly with your 
feelings, I think that in case of dire necessity you should do 
so, and at least afford my father the opportunity of making 
up for his treatment of myself . The small sum that I left in 
your hands must soon be exhausted. If I am killed you will 


A MOMENTOUS COMMUNICATION 


319 


perhaps obtain a small pension, but this assuredly would not 
be sufficient to maintain you and the boy in comfort. I know 
that you said at the time that possibly you could add to it by 
teaching. Should this be so you may be able to remain in 
Egypty when the boy grows up he will obtain employment 
of some sort here. 

But should you be unsuccessful in this direction, I do not 
see what you could do. Were you to go to England with the 
child, what chance would you hare of obtaining employment 
there without friends or references'^- I am frightened at the 
prospect. I know that were you alone you would do anything 
rather than apply to my people, but you have the child to think 
of, and, painful as it would be to you, it yet seems to me the 
best thing that could be done. At any rate I enclose you three 
letters to my brother, father, and sisters . , I have no legal 
claim on any of them, but I certainly have a moral claim on 
my brother. It is he who has impoverished the estate, so that 
even had I not quarrelled with my father there could never, 
after provision had been made for my sisters, have been any- 
thing to come to me. 

1 do not ask you to humiliate yourself by delivering these 
letters personally. I would advise you to post them from 
Cairo, enclosing in each a note saying how I fell, and that 
you are fulfilling^ my instructions by sending the letter I wrote 
before leaving you. It may be that you will receive no reply. 
In that case whatever happens to you and the child, you will 
have nothing to reproach yourself for. Possibly my father 
may have succeeded to the title, and if for no other reason, he 
may then be willing to grant you an allowance on condition 
that you do not return to England, as he would know that it 
would be nothing short of a scandal that the wife of one of 
his sons was trying to earn her bread in this country. Above 
all, dear, 1 ask you not to destroy these letters. You may at 
first scorn the idea of appealing for help, but the time might 
come, as it came to us in London, when you feel that fate is 
too strong for you, and that you can struggle no longer. Then 
you might regret, for the sake of the child, that you had not 
sent these letters. 


320 


WITH KITCHENEK IH THE SOUDAN 


It is a terrible resx)onsibility that I am tearing you. I well 
know that you will do all^ dear, that it is possible for you to 
do to avoid the necessity for sending these letters. That 1 
quite approve, if you can struggle on. God strengthen you to 
do it ! It is only if you fail that I say send them. My father 
may by this time regret that he drove me from home ; he may 
be really anxious to find me, and at least it is right that he 
should have the opportunity of making what amends he can. 
From my sisters I know that you can have little but sympathy, 
but that I feel sure they will give you, and even sympathy is a 
great deal to one who has no friends. I feel it sorely that I 
should have naught to leave you but my name and this coun- 
sel. Earnestly I hope and pray that it may never be needed. 

Yours till death, 

GREGORY HILLIARD HARTLEY. 

Gregory then opened the letter to his grandfather. 

Dear Father, 

You will not receive this letter till after my death. I 
leave it behind me while I go up with General Hicks to the 
Soudan. It will not be sent to you unless I die there. I hope 
that long ere this you may have felt, as I have done, that we 
were both somewhat in the wrong in the quarrel that sepa- 
rated us. You, I think, were hard ; I, no doubt, was hasty. 
You, I think, assumed more than was your right in demand- 
ing that I should break a promise that I had given to a lady 
against whom nothing could be said save that she was undow- 
ered. Had I, like Geoffrey, been drawing large sums of 
money from you, you would necessarily have felt yourself in 
a position to have a very strong voice in so important a 
matter. But the very moderate allowance I received while at 
the University was never increased. I do not think it is too 
much to say that for every penny I have got from you Geoffrey 
has received a guinea. 

However, that is past and gone. I have been fighting my 
own battle, and was on my way to obtaining a good position. 


A MOMENTOUS COMMUNICATION 


321 


Until I did so I dropped our surname. I did not wish that it 
should he known that one of our family was working in an 
almost menial position in Egypt. I have now obtained the 
post of interpreter on the staff of General Hicks, and if he is 
successful in crushing the rebellion I shall be certain of good 
permanent employment, when 1 can resume my name. The 
fact that you receive this letter will be a proof that I have 
fallen in battle, or by disease. 1 now, as a dying prayer, 
beg you to receive my wife and boy, or if that cannot be, to 
grant her some small annuity to assist her in her struggle with 
the world. 

Except for her sake 1 do not regret my marriage. She has 
borne the hardships through which we have passed nobly and 
without a murmur. She has been the best of wives to me, and 
has proved herself a noble woman in every respect. I leave the 
matter in your hands, Father, feeling assured that from your 
sense of justice alone, if not for the affection you once bore me, 
you will befriend my wife. As 1 know that the Earl was in 
feeble health when I left England, you may by this time have 
come into the title, in which case you will be able, without in 
any way inconveniencing yourself, to settle an annuity upon 
my wife sufficient to keep her in comfort. I can promise, in 
her name, that in that case you will never be troubled in any 
way by her, and she will probably take up her residence per- 
manently in Egypt, as she is not strong and the warm climate 
is essential to her. 

The letter to his brother was shorter: — 

My dear Geoffrey, 

I am going up with General Hicks to the Soudan. 
If you receive this letter, it will be because I have died there. 
I leave behind me my wife and a boy. I know that at present 
you are scarcely likely to be able to do much for them pecuni- 
arily, but as you will some day — possibly not a very distant 
one — inherit the title and estate, you will then be able to do so 
without hurting yourself. TFe havQ never seen much of each 


322 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 


other. You left school before I began it, and you left Oxford 
two years before I went up to Cambridge. You have never 
been at home much since, and I was two years in Egypt, and 
have now been about the same time here. I charge my wife to 
send you this, and I trust that for my sake you will help her. 
/She does not think of returning to England. Life is not ex- 
pensive in this country; even an allowance of a hundred a year 
would enable her to remain here. If you can afford double 
that, do so for my sake ; but at any rate I feel that 1 can rely 
upon you to do at least that much when you come into the title. 
Had I lived I should never have troubled anyone at home, but 
as I shall be no longer able to earn a living for her and the 
hoy, I trust that you will not think it out of the way for me to 
ask for what would have been a very small younger brother's 
allowance had I remained at home. 

The letter to his sisters was in a different strain: — 

My dear Flossie and Janet, 

I am quite sure that you, like myself, felt deeply 
grieved over our separation, and I can guess that you will 
have done what you could with our father to bring about a re- 
conciliation. When you receive this, dears, I shall have gone. 
Jam about to start on an expedition that is certain to be 
dangerous, and which may be fatal, and I have left this with 
my wife to send you if she has sure news of my death. I have 
had hard times. I see my way now, and 1 hope that I 
shall ere long receive a good official appointment out here. 
Still, it is as well to prepare for the worst ; and if you receive 
this letter the worst has come. As 1 have only just begun to 
rise again in the world, 1 have been able to make no provision 
for my wife. I know that you liked her, and that you would 
by no means have disapproved of the step I took. If our 
father has not come into the title when you receive this, your 
pocket-money will be only sufficient for your own wants; there- 
fore 1 am not asking for help in that way, but only that you 
will write to her an affectionate letter. She is without friends, 


A MOMENTOUS COMMUNICATION 


323 


and will fight her battle as best she can. She is a woman in a 
thousand, and worthy of the affection and esteem of any man 
on earth. There is a boy, too — another Gregory Hilliard 
Hartley. She will he alone in the world with him, and a letter 
from you would be very precious to her. Probably by the same, 
post as you receive this our father will also get one requesting 
more substantial assistance, hut with that you have nothing to 
do. I am only asking that you will let her know there are at 
least two people in the world who take an interest in her and 

Your affectionate Brother. 

There was yet another envelope, with no address upon it. 
It contained two documents: one was a copy of the certifi- 
cate of marriage between Gregory Hilliard Hartley and Anne 
Forsyth at St. Paul’s Church, Plymouth, with the names of 
two witnesses and the signature of the officiating minister; 
the other was a copy of the register of the birth at Alexan- 
dria of Gregory Hilliard, son of Gregory Hilliard Hartley 
and Anne, his wife. A third was a copy of the register of 
baptism of Gregory Hilliard Hartley, the son of Gregory 
Hilliard and Anne Hartley, at the Protestant Church, Alex- 
andria. 

“ I will write some day to my aunts,” Gregory said, as he 
replaced the letters in the envelopes. “ The others will never 
go ; still, I may as well keep them. So I am either grandson 
or nephew of an earl. I can’t say that I am dazzled by the 
honour. I should like to know my aunts, but as for the 
other two I would not go across the street to make their 
acquaintance.” 

He carefully stowed the letters away in his portmanteau, 
and then lay down for a few hours’ sleep. 

“ The day is breaking, master,” Zaki said, laying his hand 
upon Gregory’s shoulder. 

All right, Zaki ! While you get the water boiling I shall 
run down to the river and have a bathe, and shall be ready 
for my cocoa in twenty minutes.” 


324 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

Are we going to put on those Dervish dresses at once, 
master? They came yesterday evening.” 

‘‘No; I sha’n’t change till we get to the place where we 
land.” 

As soon as he had breakfasted he told Zaki to carry his 
portmanteau, bed, and other belongings to the house that 
served as a store for General Hunter’s staff. He waited until 
his return, and then told him to take the two rifles, the 
packets of ammunition, the spears, and the Dervish dresspss 
down to the steamer. Then he joined the General, who was 
just starting with his staff to superintend the embarkation. 

Three steamers were going up, and each towed a barge, in 
which the greater part of the troops was to be stowed, and 
in the stern of one of these knelt two camels. 

“ There are your nags, Mr. Hilliard,” the General said. 
“ There is an attendant with each. They will manage them 
better than strangers, and without them we might have a job 
in getting the animals ashore. Of course I shall take the 
drivers on with us. The sheik told me the camels are two of 
the fastest he has ever had. He has sent saddles with them 
and water-skins. The latter you will probably not want if 
all goes well ; still, it is better to take them.” 

“ I shall assuredly do so, sir. They may be useful to us on 
the ride, and though I suppose the camels would do well 
enough without them, it is always well to be provided, when 
one goes on an expedition, for any emergency that may 
occur.” 

An hour later the steamer started. The river was still full 
and the current rapid, and they did not move more than five 
miles an hour against it. At the villages they passed the 
people flocked down to the banks with cries of welcome and 
the waving of flags. They felt now that their deliverance 
was accomplished, and that they were free from the tyranny 
that had for so many years oppressed them. The banks were 
for the most part low, and save at these villages the journey 
was a monotonous one. The steamers kept on their way till 
nightfall, and then anchored. 


A MOMENTOUS COMMUNICATION ' 325 

They started again at daybreak. At breakfast General 
Hunter said: 

I think that in another two hours we shall be pretty 
well due west of El Easher, so you had better presently get 
into your Dervish dress. You have got some iodine from 
the doctor, have you not ? 

Yes.” 

“ You had better stain yourself all over, and take a good 
supply in case you have to do it again.” 

Gregory went below and had his head shaved by one of 
the Soudanese, then re-stained himself from head to foot 
and put on the Dervish attire — loose trousers and a long 
smock with six large square patches arranged in two lines 
in front; a white turban and a pair of shoes completed the 
costume. The officers laughed as he came on deck again. 

“ You look an out-and-out Dervish, Hilliard,” one of them 
said. It is lucky that there are none of the Lancers scout- 
ing about. They would hardly give you time to explain, 
especially with that rifle and spear.” 

Presently they came to a spot where the water was deep 
up to the bank, which was some six feet above its level. The 
barge with the camels was brought up alongside. It had no 
bulwark, and as the deck was level with the land, the camels 
were, with a good deal of pressing on the part of their drivers, 
and pushing by as many Soudanese as could come near 
enough to them, got ashore. 

None of the Soudanese recognized Gregory, and looked 
greatly surprised at the sudden appearance of two Dervishes 
among them. As soon as the camels were landed, Gregory 
and Zaki mounted them. 

‘^You had better keep if anything to the south of east,” 
General Hunter’s last instructions had been. ‘‘Unless Par- 
sons has been greatly delayed they should be two or three 
days’ march farther up the river, and every mile you strike 
the stream behind him is so much time lost.” 

He waved his hand to them and wished them farewell as 


326 


WITH KITCHEISTER IN THE SOUDAN 


they started, and his staff shouted their wishes for a safe 
journey. The black soldiers, seeing that, whoever these Der- 
vishes might be, they were well known to the General and his 
officers, raised a cheer, to which Zaki, who had hitherto kept 
in the background, waved his rifle in reply. As his face was 
familiar to numbers of the Soudanese, they now recognized 
him and cheered more heartily than before, laughing like 
school-boys at the transformation. 


CHAPTER XXI 

GEDAREH 

“ \ BDIJL AZIM was right about the camels,” Gregory 
said, as soon as they were fairly off. I have never 
ridden on one like this before. What a difference there is 
between them and the ordinary camel! It is not only that 
they go twice as fast, but the motion is so pleasant and easy.” 

“ Yes, master, these are riding camels of good breed. They 
cost twenty times as much as the others. They think noth- 
ing of keeping up this rate for twelve hours without a stop.” 

“If they do that we shall be near the Atbara before it is 
dark. It is ten o’clock now, and if General Hunter’s map 
is right we have only about eighty miles to go, and I should 
think they are trotting seven miles an hour.” 

They carried their rifles slung behind them and across the 
shoulders rather than upright, as was the Arab fashion. The 
spears were held in their right hands. 

“We must see if we can’t fasten the spears in some other 
way, Zaki; we should And them a nuisance if we held them 
in our hands all the way. I should say it would be easy to 
fasten them across the saddle in front of us. If we see horse- 
men in the distance we can take them into our hands.” 

“ I think, master, it would be easier to fasten them behind 


GEDAEEH 327 

the saddles, where there is more width, and rings on the sad- 
dle on both sides.” 

A short halt was made, and the spears fixed. Gregory then 
looked at his compass. 

We must make for that rise two or three miles away. I 
see exactly the point we must aim for. When we get there 
we must look at the compass again.” 

They kept steadily on for six hours. They had seen no 
human figure since they started. 

We will stop here for half an hour,” Gregory said. 

Give the animals a drink of water and a handful or two of 
grain.” 

I donT think they will want water, master. They had as 
much as they could drink before starting, and they are accus- 
tomed to drink when their work is over.” 

^^Very well; at any rate we will take something.” 

They opened one of the water-skins, and poured some of 
the contents into a gourd; then, sitting down in the shadow 
of the camels, they ate some dates and bread. They had only 
brought native food with them, so that if captured and ex- 
amined there should be nothing to show that they had been 
in contact with Europeans. Gregory had even left his re- 
volver behind him, as, being armed with so good a weapon 
as a Remington, it was hardly likely that it would be needed, 
and if found upon them it would be accepted as a proof that 
he was in the employment of the infidels. 

It was dusk when they arrived at the bank of the river. 
Ho incident had marked the journey, nor had they seen any 
sign that Dervishes were in the neighbourhood. The Atbara 
was in full flood, and was rushing down at six or seven miles 
an hour. 

“ Colonel Parsons must have had great difficulty in cross- » 
ing, Zaki. He is hardly likely to have brought any boats 
across from Kassala. I don’t know whether he has any guns 
with him, but if he has I don’t think he can have crossed, 
even if they made rafts enough to carry them.” 


228 


WITH KiTCHENEil Ilf THE SOUHAN 


They kept along the bank until they reached a spot where 
the river had overflowed. Here the camels drank their fill. 

A little grain was given to them, and then they were turned 
loose to browse on the bushes. 

“ There is no fear of their straying, I suppose, Zaki ? ” 

“Ho, master; they are always turned loose at night. As 
there are plenty of bushes here they will not go far.” 

After another meal they both lay down to sleep, and as 
soon as it was light Zaki fetched in the camels and they con- 
tinued their journey. In an hour they arrived at a village. 
The people were already astir, and looked with evident ap- 
prehension at the seeming Dervishes. 

“ Has a party of infidels passed along here ? ” Gregory asked 
the village sheik, who came out and salaamed humbly. 

“ Yes, my lord, a party of soldiers with some white officers 
came through here three days ago.” 

“ How many were there of them ? ” 

“ There must have been more than a thousand of them.” 

“ Many more ? ” 

“Hot many; perhaps a hundred more. Your servant did 
not count them.” 

“ Had they any cannon with them ? ” 

“Ho, my lord; they were all on foot. They all carried 
guns, but there were no mounted men or cannon.” 

“Where is Fadil and his army that they thus allowed so 
small a force to march along unmolested ? ” 

“ They say that he is still near the Hile. Two of his scouts ^ 
were here the day before the Turks came along. They stayed 
here for some hours, but as they said nothing about the Turks 
coming from Kassala, I suppose they did not know they had 
crossed the river.” 

“ Well, we must go on and see where they are. They must 
be mad to come with so small a force when they must have 
known that Fadil has a large army. They will never go back 
again.” 

Without further talk Gregory rode farther on. At each 



SKVKRAL MEN STARTED OUT FROM THE BUSHES, RIFLE IK[ 
HANP 



gedareh 


329 

village through which they passed they had some news of the 
passage of Colonel Parsons’ command. The camels had 
been resting from the time when Omdurman was taken, and 
having been well fed that morning Gregory did not hesitate 
to press them. The troops would not march above twenty- 
five miles a day, and two days would take them to Mugatta, 
so that if they halted there but for a day he should be able 
to overtake them that night. The character of the country 
was now greatly changed; the bush was thick and high, and 
a passage through it would be very difficult for mounted 
men. There was no fear, therefore, that they would turn 
off before arriving at Mugatta, from which place there would 
probably be a track of some sort to Gedareh. It was but a 
thirty-mile ride, and on arriving near the village Gregory 
saw that a considerable number of men were assembled there. 
He checked his camel. 

“What do you make them out to be, Zaki? Your eyes 
are better than mine. They may be Colonel Parsons’ force, 
and on the other hand they may be Dervishes who have closed 
in behind him to cut off his retreat.” 

“ They are not Dervishes, master,” Zaki said, after a long, 
steady look; “they have not white turbans. Some of their 
clothes are light, and. some dark, but all have dark caps like 
those the Soudanese troops wear.” 

“ That is good enough, Zaki. We will turn our robes in- 
side out so as to hide the patches, as otherwise we might have 
a hot reception.” 

When they were a quarter of a mile from the village several 
men started out from the bushes, rifle in hand. They were 
all in Egyptian uniform. “We are friends ! ” Gregory 
shouted in Arabic. “I am an officer of the Khedive, and 
have come from Omdurman with a message to your com- 
mander.” 

A native officer, one of the party, at once saluted. “ You 
will find the bey in the village, Bimbashi.” 

“ How long have you been here ? ” 


330 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOHDAN 


We came in yesterday, and I hear that we shall start to- 
morrow, but I know not whether that is so.” 

“ Are there any Dervishes about ? ” 

“Yes; forty of them yesterday afternoon, coming from 
Gedareh and ignorant that we were here, rode in among our 
outposts on that hill to the west. Three of them were killed 
and three made prisoners; the rest rode away.” 

With a word of thanks Gregory rode on. He dismounted 
when h.e reached the village, and was directed to a neighbour- 
ing hut. Here Colonel Parsons and the six white officers 
with him were assembled. A native soldier was on sentry 
at the door. 

“ I want to speak to Parsons Bey.” The Colonel, hearing 
the words, came to the door. “ Colonel Parsons,” Gregory 
said in English, “ I am Major Hilliard of the Egyptian Army, 
and have the honour to be the bearer of a message to you 
from General Bundle, now in command at Omdurman.” 

“ You are well disguised indeed, sir,” the Colonel said with 
a smile, as he held out his hand. “ I should never have taken 
you for anything but a native. Where did you spring from? 
You can never have ridden, much less walked, across the 
desert from Omdurman ? ” 

“ Ho, sir; I was landed from one of the gun-boats in which 
General Hunter, with fifteen hundred Soudanese troops, is 
ascending the Blue Hile to prevent Fadil from crossing and 
joining the Khalifa.” 

“ Have you a written despatch ? ” 

“It was thought better that I should carry nothing, so 
that even the strictest search would not show that I was a 
messenger.” 

“ Is your message of a private character? ” 

“Ho, sir, I think not.” 

“ Then will you come in ? ” 

Gregory followed Colonel Parsons into the hut, which con- 
tained but one room. “ Gentlemen,” the former said with a 
smile, “ allow me to introduce Bimbashi Hilliard, who is the 


GEDAKEH 


331 


bearer of a message to me from General Bundle, now in com- 
mand at Omdurman. Major Hilliard, these are Captain 
MacKerrel, commanding four hundred and fifty men of the 
16th Egyptians; Captain Wilkinson, an equal number of the 
Arab battalion; Major Lawson, who has under his command 
three hundred and seventy Arab irregulars ; Captain the Hon. 
H. Buthven, who has under him eighty camel-men ; also Cap- 
tain Fleming of the Boyal Army Medical Corps, who is at 
once our medical officer and in command of the baggage 
column; and Captain Dwyer. They are all, like yourself, 
officers in the Egyptian Army, and rank, like yourself, as 
Bimbashis. How, sir, will you deliver your message to me? ” 

“It is of a somewhat grave character, sir, but General 
Bundle thought it very important that you should be ac- 
quainted with the last news. The Sirdar has gone up the 
White Hile with some of the gun-boats and the 11th Soudan- 
ese. He deemed it necessary to go himself, because a body 
of foreign troops — believed to be French — ^have established 
themselves at Fashoda.” 

An exclamation of surprise broke from all the officers. 

“In the next place, sir, Fadil, who had arrived with his 
force within forty miles of Khartoum, has retired up the 
banks of the Blue Nile on hearing of the defeat of the 
Khalifa. Major-General Hunter has therefore gone up that 
river with three gun-boats and another Soudanese battalion 
to prevent him, if possible, from crossing it and joining the 
Khalifa, who is reported to be collecting the remains of his 
defeated army. It is possible — indeed the General thinks it 
is probable — that Fadil, if unable to cross, may return with 
his army to Gedareh. It is to warn you of this possibility 
that he sent me here. Gedareh is reported to be a defensible 
position, and therefore he thinks that if you capture it, it 
would be advisable to maintain yourself there until reinforce- 
ments can be sent to you, either from the Blue Hile or the 
Atbara. The place, it seems, is well supplied with provisions 
and stores, and in the event of Fadil opposing you, it would 


332 WITH KITCHEHEE IN' THE SOUDAN 

be far safer for you to defend it than to be attacked in the 
open or during a retreat.” 

It is certainly important news, Mr. Hilliard. Hitherto 
we have supposed that Fadil had joined the Khalifa before 
the fight at Omdurman, and there was therefore no fear of 
his reappearing here. We know very little of the force at 
Gedareh. We took some prisoners yesterday, but their ac- 
counts are very confiicting; still, there is every reason to 
believe that the garrison is not strong. Certainly, as General 
Kundle says, we should be in a much better position there 
than if we were attacked in the open. Ho doubt the Arabs 
who got ofi in the skirmish yesterday carried the news there, 
and probably some of them would go direct to Fadil, and if 
he came down upon us here with his eight thousand men our 
position would be a desperate one. It cost us four days to 
cross the river at El Fasher, and would take us as much to 
build boats and recross here, and before that time he might 
be upon us. It is evident, gentlemen, that we have only the 
choice of these alternatives — either to march at once against 
Gedareh or to retreat immediately, crossing the river here 
or at El Fasher. As to remaining here, of course it is out 
of the question.” 

The consultation was a short one. All the officers were 
in favour of pushing forward, pointing out that, as only the 
16 th Egyptians could be considered as fairly disciplined, the 
troops would lose heart if they retired, and could not be 
relied upon to keep steady if attacked by a largely superior 
force, while at present they would probably fight bravely. 
The Arab battalion had been raised by the Italians, and were 
at present full of confidence, as they had defeated the Mah- 
dists who had been besieging Kassala. The Arab irregulars 
had of course the fighting instincts of their race, and would 
assault an enemy bravely; but in a defensive battle against 
greatly superior numbers, could scarcely be expected to stand 
well. As for the eighty camel-men, they were all Soudanese 
soldiers discharged from the army for old age and physical 


GEDAEEH 


3::)a 

unfitness; they could be relied upon to fight, but small in 
number as they were, could but have little effect on the issue 
of a battle. All therefore agreed that, having come thus far, 
the safest as well as the most honourable course would be to 
endeavour to fight the enemy in a strong position. 

Although it may be said that success justified it, no wilder 
enterprise was ever undertaken than that of sending thirteen 
hundred only partly disciplined men into the heart of the 
enemy’s country. Omdurman and Atbara, to say nothing 
of previous campaigns, had shown how desperately the Der- 
vishes fought, and the order for the garrison of Kassala to 
undertake it can only have been given under an entire mis- 
conception of the circumstances, and of the strength of the 
army under Fadil that they would almost certainly be called 
upon to encounter. This was the more probable, as all the 
women and the property of his soldiers had been left at 
Gedareh when he marched away, and his men would therefore 
naturally wish to go there before they made any endeavour 
to join the Khalifa. 

Such, indeed, was the fact. Fadil concealed from them 
the news of the disaster at Omdurman for some days, and 
when it became known he had difficulty in restraining his 
troops from marching straight for Gedareh. 

“ Do you go on with us, Mr. Hilliard ? ” Colonel Parsons 
asked, when they had decided to start for Gedareh. 

“ Yes, sir. My instructions are to go on with you, and 
if the town is besieged, to endeavour to get through their 
lines and carry the news to General Hunter if I can ascertain 
his whereabouts; if not, to make straight for Omdurman. 
I have two fast camels which I shall leave here, and return 
for them with my black boy when we start.” 

“We shall be glad to have you with us,” the Colonel said; 
“ every white officer is worth a couple of hundred men.” 

As they sat and chatted Gregory asked how the force had 
crossed the Atbara. 

“ It was a big job,” Colonel Parsons said. “ The river was 


334 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOHDAN 


wider than the Thames below London Bridge, and running 
something like seven miles an hour. We brought with us 
some barrels to construct a raft. When this was built it 
supported the ten men who started on it, but they were, in 
spite of their efforts, carried ten miles down the stream, and 
it was not until five hours after they embarked that they 
managed to land. The raft did not get back from its jour- 
ney till the next afternoon, being towed along the opposite 
bank by the men. It was evident that this would not do. 
The Egyptian soldiers then took the matter in hand. They 
made frameworks with the wood of the mimosa scrub, and 
covered these with tarpaulins which we had fortunately 
brought with us. They turned out one boat a day capable 
of carrying two tons, and six days after we reached the river 
we all got across. 

The delay was a terrible nuisance at the time, but it has 
enabled you to come up here and warn us about Eadil. Fort- 
unately no Dervishes came along while we were crossing, 
and indeed we learned from the prisoners we took yesterday 
that the fact that a force from Kassala had crossed the river 
was entirely unknown, so no harm was done.” 

The sheik of the little village took charge of Gregory’s 
camels. Some stores were also left there under a small guard, 
as it was advisable to reduce the transport to the smallest 
possible amount. The next morning the start was made. 
The bush was so thick that it was necessary to march in single 
file. In the evening the force halted in a comparatively open 
country. The camel-men reconnoitred the ground for some 
little distance round, and saw no signs of the enemy; they 
camped, however, in the form of a square, and lay with their 
arms beside them in readiness to resist an attack. 

The night passed quietly, and at early dawn they moved 
forward again. At six o’clock the camel-men exchanged a 
few shots with the Dervish scouts, who fell back at once. 
At eight a village was sighted, and the force advanced upon 
it in fighting order. It was found, however, to have been 


GEDAEEH 


335 


deserted, except by a few old people. These, on being ques- 
tioned, said that the Emir Saadalla, who commanded, had but 
two hundred rifles and six hundred spearmen, and had re- 
ceived orders from Eadil to surrender. Subsequent events 
showed that they had been carefully tutored as to the reply 
to be given. The force halted here, as Gedareh was still 
twelve miles away, and it was thought better that if there 
was fighting, they should be fresh. At midnight a deserter 
from the Dervishes came in with the grave news that the 
Emir had three thousand five hundred men, and was awaiting 
them two miles outside the town. There was another in- 
formal council of war, but all agreed that a retreat through 
this difficult country would bring about the total annihilation 
of the force, and that there was nothing to do but to fight. 

Early in the morning they started again. Eor the first 
two hours the road led through grass so high that even the 
men on camels could not see above it. They pushed on till 
eight o’clock, when they reached a small knoll. At the foot 
of this they halted, and Colonel Parsons and the officers as- 
cended it to reconnoitre. They saw at once that the deserter’s 
news was true: a mile away four lines of Dervishes, march- 
ing in excellent order, were making their way towards them. 
Colonel Parsons considered that their numbers could not be 
less than four thousand, and at once decided to occupy a 
saddle-back hill half a mile away, and the troops were hur- 
ried across. The Dervishes also quickened their movements, 
but were too late to prevent the hill from being seized. The 
Arab battalion had been leading, followed by the Egyptians, 
while the irregulars, divided into two bodies under Arab 
chiefs, guarded the hospital and baggage. 

The Dervishes at once advanced to the attack of the hill, 
and the column wheeled into line to meet it. Even on the 
crest of the hill the grass was breast-high, but it did not im- 
pede the view of the advancing lines of the Dervishes. Into 
these a heavy and destructive fire was at once poured. The 
enemy, however, pushed on, firing in return ; but being some- 


336 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


what out of breath from the rapidity with which they had 
marched, and seeing nothing of the defenders of the hill save 
their heads, they inflicted far less loss than they were them- 
selves suffering. The fight was continuing when Colonel 
Parsons saw that a force of about three hundred Dervishes 
had worked round the back of the hill with the intention of 
falling upon the baggage. He at once sent one of the Arab 
sheiks to warn Captain Fleming, who from his position was 
unable to see the approaching foe. ' Colonel Parsons had 
asked Gregory to take up his position with the baggage, as 
he foresaw that, with their vastly greater numbers, it was 
likely that the Dervishes might sweep round and attack it. 

Scarcely had the messenger arrived with the news, when 
the Dervishes came rushing on through the high grass. In 
spite of the shouts of Doctor Fleming and Gregory, the escort 
of one hundred and twenty irregular Arabs stationed at this 
point at once broke and fled. Happily a portion of the camel 
corps, with its commander. Captain Kuthven, a militia officer, 
was close at hand. Though he had but thirty-four of these 
old soldiers with him, he rushed forward to meet the enemy. 
Doctor Fleming and Gregory joined him, and, all cheering 
to encourage the Soudanese, made a determined stand. 
Gregory and Zaki kept up a steady fire with their Keming- 
tons, and picked off several of the most determined of their 
assailants. The fight, however, was too unequal; the Der- 
vishes got in behind them and cut off the rear portion of the 
transport, and the little band, fighting obstinately, fell back 
with their faces to the foe towards the main body. 

One of the native officers of the Soudanese fell. Captain 
Ruthven, a very powerful man, ran back and lifted the 
wounded soldier and made his way towards his friends. So 
closely pressed was he by the Dervishes that three times he 
had to lay his burden down and defend himself with his 
revolver, while Gregory and Zaki aided his retreat by turning 
their fire upon his assailants. For this splendid act of 
bravery Captain Ruthven afterwards received the Victoria 


GEDAREH 


337 


Cross. Flushed by their success, the Dervishes pushed on. 
Fortunately at this time the main force of the Dervishes was 
beginning to waver, unable to withstand the steady fire of 
the defenders of the hill, and as they drew back a little the 
Egyptian and Arab battalions rushed forward. 

Shaken as they were, the Dervishes were unable to resist 
the attack, and broke and fied, pursued by the Arab battalion. 
The Egyptians, however, obeyed the orders of Captain Mac- 
Kerrel, and, halting, faced about to encounter the attack 
from the rear. Their volleys caused the Dervishes to hesi- 
tate, and Captain Ruthven and his party reached the summit 
of the hill in safety. The enemy, however, maintained a 
heavy fire for a few minutes, buf the volleys of the Egyptians 
at a distance of only a hundred yards were so deadly that 
they soon took to fiight. The first shot had been fired at 
half-past eight. At ten the whole Dervish force was scat- 
tered in headlong rout. Had Colonel Parsons possessed a 
cavalry force the enemy would have been completely cut up ; 
as it was, pursuit was out of the question. The force there- 
fore advanced in good order to Gedareh. Here a Dervish 
Emir, wEo had been left in charge when the rest of the gar- 
rison moved out, surrendered at once wuth the two hundred 
black rifiemen under him. He had long been suspected of 
disloyalty by the Khalifa, and at once declared his hatred of 
Mahdism, declaring that though he had not dared to declare 
himself openly, he had always been friendly to Egyptian rule. 

The men with him at once fraternized with the Arabs of 
Colonel Parsons’ force, and were formally received into their 
ranks. The Emir showed his sincerity by giving them all 
the information in his power as to Fadil’s position and move- 
ments, and by pointing out the most defensible positions. 
Hone of the British officers had been wounded, but fifty-one 
of the men had been killed and eighty wounded. Five hun- 
dred of the Dervishes were left dead upon the field, including 
four Emirs. Hot a moment was lost in preparing for de- 
fence, for it was certain that Fadil, on hearing the news, 


338 


WITH KITCHENEK IH THE SOUDAH 


would at once march to retake the town. The position was 
naturally a strong one. Standing on rising ground was 
FadiFs house, surrounded by a brick wall twelve feet high. 
Here the Egyptian battalion and camel corps were placed, 
with the hospital and two brass guns which had been found 
there. A hundred yards away was another enclosure with a 
five-foot wall, and two hundred yards away a smaller one. 
The Arab battalion was stationed to the rear of this in a 
square enclosure with a brick wall twelve feet high, in which 
was situated a well. 

These four buildings were so placed that the fire from each 
covered the approaches to the other. Two hundred yards 
from the well enclosure was a fortified house surrounded 
by a high wall. As the latter would need too many men for 
its defence, the wall was pulled down and a detachment placed 
in the house. Ho time was lost. The whole force was at 
once employed in pulling down huts, clearing the ground of 
the high grass, and forming a zareba round the town. The 
greatest cause for anxiety was ammunition. A large propor- 
tion of that carried in the pouches had been expended during 
the battle, and the next morning Colonel Parsons, with a 
small force, hurried back to Mugatta to fetch up the reserve 
ammunition, which had been left there under a guard. He 
returned with it three days later. An abundant supply of 
provisions had been found in Gedareh, for here ‘were the 
magazines not only of the four thousand men of the garrison 
and the women who had been left there, but sufficient for 
FadiFs army on their return. There were three or four 
wells and a good supply of water. 

The ammunition arrived just in time, for on the following 
morning Captain Kuthveffis camel-men brought in news that 
Fadil was close at hand. At half -past eight the Dervishes 
began the attack on three sides of the defences. Sheltered 
by the long grass they were able to make their way to within 
three hundred yards of the dwellings occupied by the troops. 
But the intervening ground had all been cleared, and though 


GEDAEEH 


339 


time after time they made rushes forward, they were unable 
to withstand the withering fire to which they were exposed. 
After an hour’s vain efforts their musketry fire ceased, but 
half an hour later strong reinforcements came up and the 
attack recommenced. This was accompanied with no greater 
success than the first attack, and Fadil retired to a palm- 
grove two miles away. Of the defenders five men were killed, 
and Captain Dwyer and thirteen men wounded. 

For two days Fadil endeavoured to persuade his troops to 
make another attack, but although they surrounded the town 
and maintained a scattered fire they could not be brought to 
attempt another assault, having lost over five hundred men 
in the two attacks the first day. He then fell back eight 
miles. 

Three days later Colonel Parsons said to Gregory: “I 
think the time has come, Mr. Hilliard, when I must apply for 
reinforcements. I am convinced that we can repel all at- 
tacks, but we are virtually prisoners here. Were we to en- 
deavour to retreat, Fadil would probably annihilate us. Our 
men have behaved admirably; but it is one thing to fight 
well when you are advancing, and another to be firm in re- 
treat. But our most serious enemy at present is fever. 
Already the stink of the unburied bodies of the Dervishes 
is overpowering, and every day it will become worse. Dr. 
Fleming reports to me that he has a great many sick on his 
hands, and that he fears the conditions that surround us will 
bring about an epidemic ; therefore I have decided to send to 
General Bundle for a reinforcement that will enable us to 
move out to attack Fadil.” 

“ Very well, sir, I will start at once.” 

will write my despatch, it will be ready for you to 
carry in an hour’s time. Vou had better pick out a couple 
of good donkeys from those we captured here. As it is only 
nine o’clock you will be able to get to Mugatta this evening. 
I don’t' think there is any fear of your being interfered with 
by the Dervishes. We may be sure that Fadil is not allowing 


34:0 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

his men to roam over the country, for there can be little 
doubt that a good many of them would desert as soon as they 
got fairly beyond his camp.” 

don’t think there is any fear of that, sir; and as my 
camels will have had ten days’ rest, I should have very little 
fear of being overtaken even if they did sight us.” 

“We are off again, Zaki,” Gregory said. “We will go 
down to the yard where the animals we captured are kept, 
and choose a couple of good donkeys. I am to carry a de- 
spatch to Omdurman, and as time is precious we will make a 
straight line across the desert; it will save us fifty or sixty 
miles.” 

“I am glad to be gone, master; the smells here are as bad 
as they were at Omdurman when we went in there.” 

“Yes, I am very glad to be off too.” 

An hour later they started, and arrived at Mugatta at eight 
o’clock in the evening. The native with whom the camels 
had been left had taken good care of them, and after reward- 
ing him and taking a meal Gregory determined to start at 
once. The stars were bright, and there was quite light 
enough for the camels to travel. The water was emptied 
from the skins and filled again. They had brought with 
them sufficient food for four days’ travel, and a sack of 
grain for the camels. An hour after arriving at the village 
they again started. 

“We will follow the river bank till we get past the country 
where the bushes are so thick, and then strike west by north. 
I saw by Colonel Parsons’ map that that is about the line we 
should take.” 

They left the river before they reached El Easher, and con- 
tinued their journey all night and onward till the sun was 
well up; then they watered the camels (they had this time 
brought with them a large half-gourd for the purpose), ate 
a good meal themselves, and after placing two piles of grain 
before the camels, lay down and slept until five o^clock in the 
afternoon. 


GEDAREH 


341 


“We ought to be oposite Omdurman to-morrow morning. 
I expect we shall strike the river to-night. I have kept our 
course rather to the west of the direct line, on purpose; it 
would be very awkward if we were to miss it. I believe the 
compass is right, and I have struck a match every hour to 
look at it; but a very slight deviation would make a big 
difference at the end of a hundred and fifty miles.” 

-It was just midnight when they saw the river before them. 

“We can’t go wrong now, Zaki.” 

“ That is a comfort. How many miles are we above its 
junction with the White Nile?” 

“ I don’t know.” 

They rode steadily on, and day was just breaking when he 
exclaimed : “ There are some buildings opposite. That must 
be Khartoum. We shall be opposite Omdurman in another 
hour.” 

Soon after six o’clock they rode down to the river bank 
opposite the town, and in answer to their signals a large 
native boat was rowed across to them. After some trouble 
the camels were got on board, and in a quarter of an hour 
they landed. 

“ Take the camels up to my house, Zaki ; I must go and 
report myself at head-quarters.” 

General Rundle had not yet gone out, and on Gregory 
sending in his name he was at once admitted. 

“ So you are back, Mr. Hilliard ! ” the General said. “ I 
am heartily glad to see you, for it was a very hazardous mis- 
sion that you undertook. What news have you ? ” 

“ This is Colonel Parsons’ report.” 

Before reading the long report the General said, “ Tell me 
in a few words what happened.” 

“ I overtook Colonel Parsons at Mugatta on the third 
morning after leaving. We were attacked by nearly four 
thousand Dervishes five miles from Gedareh. After a sharp 
fight they were defeated, and we occupied the town without 
resistance. Four days later Fadil came up with his army 


342 


WITH KITCHEN'ER IN THE SOUDAN 


and attacked the town, but was driven off with a loss of five 
hundred men. He is now eight miles from the town. The 
place is unhealthy, and although it can be defended. Colonel 
Parsons has asked for reinforcements to enable him to attack 
Padil.’^ 

“ That is good news indeed. We have all been extremely 
anxious, for there was no doubt that Colonel Parsons’ force 
was wholly inadequate for the purpose. How long is it since 
you left ? ” 

About forty-six hours, sir.” 

“Indeed! that seems almost impossible, Mr. Hilliard.” 

“We started at eleven o’clock in the morning, sir, and rode 
on donkeys to Mugatta, where I had left my camels ; arrived 
there at eight, and started an hour later on the camels. We 
rode till nine o’clock the next day, halted till five, and have 
just arrived here. The camels were excellent beasts, and 
travelled a good six miles an hour. I did not press them, 
as I knew that if we arrived opposite the town at night, we 
should have difficulty in getting across the river.” 

“It was a great ride, af^reat achievement! You must be 
hungry as well as tired. I will tell my man to get you some 
breakfast at once. You can eat it while I read this despatch. 
Then I may have a few questions to ask you. After that you 
had better turn in till evening.” 

Gregory enjoyed his breakfast with the luxuries of tinned 
fruit after his rough fare for the past fortnight. When he 
went to the General’s room again the latter said : 

“ Colonel Parsons’ despatches are very full, and I think 
I quite understand the situation. Ho praise is too high for 
the conduct of his officers and troops. All seemed to have 
behaved equally well, and he mentions the gallant part you 
took in the defence of the baggage with Captain Ruthven 
and the doctor, and only some thirty-four soldiers of the 
camel corps. How I will not detain you longer. I hope you 
will dine with me this evening; I should like to hear more 
of the affair.” 


GEDAREH 


343 


Keturning to his hut, Gregory found that Zaki had already ‘ 
got his bed and other things from the store, and he was just 
about to boil the kettle. 

“ I have breakfasted, Zaki. Here is a dollar. Go to one 
of those big shops and buy anything you like, and have a 
good meal. Then you had better take the camels across to 
Azim’s camp. I shall not want you then till evening.” 

Ho time was lost. Three battalions and a half of Sou- 
danese were sent up the Blue Hile in steamers, and the gar- 
risons stationed at several points on the river were also taken 
on board. Three companies of camel corps marched along 
the bank and arrived at Abu Haraz, a hundred and thirty 
miles up the river, in fifty-six hours after starting. Five 
hundred baggage camels were also sent up. As the distance 
from Gedareh to this point was a hundred miles, and as water 
was only to be found at one point, it was necessary to carry 
up a supply for the troops. Colonel Collinson, who was in 
command, pushed forward at once with the 12th Soudanese 
and the camel corps. When Fadil heard of their approach 
he made a night attack on Gedareh. This, however, was 
easily repulsed by the garrison. He then broke up his camp 
and marched away, intending to cross the Blue Nile and 
join the Khalifa. 

His troops were greatly demoralized by their failures, and 
in spite of the precautions he took, the Darfur Sheik, with 
five hundred of his men, succeeded in effecting his escape, 
and at once joined us actively in the further operations 
against Fadil. As there was no further danger the Soudan- 
ese m-arched back again and joined the other battalions, the 
garrisons oii the river were re-established, and part of the 
force returned to Omdurman. The Sirdar had returned 
from Fashoda before Gregory came back, and had left almost 
immediately for Cairo. On the day after Gregory’s return 
he had a sharp attack of fever, the result partly of the evil 
smells at Gedareh, heightened by the fact that the present 
was the fever season in the Blue Nile country. 


344 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

CHAPTEK XXII 

THE CROWNING VICTORY 

I T was eight weeks before he recovered, and even then the 
doctor said that he was not fit for any exertion. He 
learned that on the 22nd of October, Colonel Lewis, with 
two companies of the camel corps and three squadrons of 
Lancers, had started from Omdurman to visit the various 
villages between the White and Blue Xiles, to restore order, 
and proclaim that the authority of the Khedive was estab- 
lished there. On the 7th of Xovember, following the Blue 
Nile up, he reached Karkoj, but a short distance below the 
point at which the navigation of the river ceased. He had 
come in contact with a portion of Fadil’s force, but nothing 
could be done in the thick undergrowth in which the latter 
was lurking, and he therefore remained waiting for the next 
move on the part of the Dervish commander, while the gun- 
boats patrolled the Blue river up to Kosaires. Six weeks 
passed. His force and all the garrisons on the river suffered 
severely from heat, thirty per cent of the troops being down 
together. The cavalry had suffered particularly heavily. 
Of the four hundred and sixty men, ten had died and four 
hundred and twenty were reported unfit for duty a month 
after their arrival at Karkoj ; while of the thirty white offi- 
cers on the Blue Nile, only two escaped an attack of fever. 

At the end of the month Colonel Lewis was joined by the 
Darfur Sheik and three hundred and fifty of his men. He 
had had many skirmishes with Dervish parties scouring the 
country for food, and his arrival was very welcome. 

Gregory was recommended to take a river trip to recover 
his health, and left on a steamer going up with stores and 
some small reinforcements to Colonel Lewis. They arrived 
at Karkoj on the 14th of December, and learned that the lit- 
tle garrison at Kosaires had been attacked by the Dervishes. 


THE CROWNING VICTORY 


345 


The fifty fever-stricken men who formed the garrison would 
have had no chance of resisting the attack, but fortunately 
1 they had that very morning been reinforced by two hundred 
men of the 10th Soudanese and two Maxims, and the Der- 
vishes were repulsed with considerable loss. Two companies 
of the same battalion had reinforced Colonel Lewis, who 
I marched, on the day after receiving the news, to Rosaires. 
The gun-boat went up to that point and remained there for 
some days. Gregory went ashore as soon as the boat arrived, 
\ and saw Colonel Lewis, to whom he was well known. 

! am supposed to be on sick leave, sir, but I feel quite 

strong now, and shall be glad to join you if you will have 
me.” 

I can have no possible objection, Mr. Hilliard. I know 
that you did good service with Colonel Parsons, and it is 
i quite possible that we shall find ourselves in as tight a place 
as he was. So many of our white officers have been sent 
I down with fever that I am very short-handed, and shall be 
glad if you will temporarily serve as my assistant.” 

On the 20th the news came that Fadil was crossing the 
i river at Dakhila, twenty miles farther to the south. He him- 
j self had crossed, and the women and children had been taken 
over on a raft. On the 22nd the Darfur Sheik was sent off 
up the west bank to harass the Dervishes who had already 
crossed. On the 24th two gun-boats arrived with two hun- 
dred more men of the 10th Soudanese and a small detach- 
ment of the 9th. On the following day the little force 
I started at five in the afternoon, and at eleven at night halted 
at a little village. At three in the morning they again ad- 
vanced, and at eight o’clock came in contact with the Der- 
vish outposts. Colonel Lewis had already learned that in- 
stead of half the Dervish force having crossed only one 
j division had done so, and that he had by far the greater part 
' of Fadil’s army opposed to him. It was a serious matter to 
attack some four or five thousand men with so small a force 
at his disposal, for he had but half the 10th Soudanese, a 


346 WITH KITCIIENEK IN' THE SOHDAN 

handful of the 9th, and two Maxim guns. As to the Darfur 
irregulars, no great reliance could be placed upon them. 

As the force issued from the wood through which they had 
been marching, they saw the river in front of them. In its 
midst rose a large island a mile and a quarter long and more 
than three-quarters of a mile wide. There were clumps of 
cand-hills upon it. They had learned that the intervening 
stream was rapid but not deep, while that on the other side 
of the island was very deep, with a precipitous bank. It 
was upon this island that Fadihs force was established. The 
position was a strong one — the sand-hills rose from an almost 
flat plain a thousand yards away, and this would have to be 
crossed by the assailants without any shelter whatever. The 
Dervishes were bound to fight their hardest, as there was 
no possibility of escape if defeated. At nine o’clock the 
Soudanese and irregulars lined the bank and opened fire, 
while the two Maxims came into action. The Dervishes re- 
plied briskly, and it was soon evident that at so long a range 
they could not be driven from their position. Several fords 
were found, and the irregulars, supported by a company of 
the 10th, crossed the river and took up a position two hun- 
dred yards in advance to cover the passage of the rest. These 
crossed with some difiiculty, for the water was three and a 
half feet deep, and the current very strong, and they were, 
moreover, exposed to the fire of Fadil’s riflemen from the 
high cliff on the opposite bank. 

Colonel Lewis, determined to turn the left flank of the 
Dervishes, kept along the river’s edge until he reached 
the required position, then wheeled the battalion into line 
and advanced across the bare shingle against the sand-hills. 
Major Ferguson with one company was detached to attack a 
knoll on the right held by two hundred Dervishes; the re- 
maining four companies under Colonel Mason kept straight 
on towards the main position. A very heavy fire was con- 
centrated upon them, not only from the sand-hills but from 
Fadil’s riflemen. The Soudanese fell fast, but held on, in- 


THE CEOWN-ING VICTOEY 


347 


creasing their pace to a run, until they reached the foot of 
the first sand-hill, where they lay down in shelter to take 
breath. A quarter of the force had already fallen, and their 
I doctor. Captain Jennings, remained out in the open, binding 
up their wounds, although exposed to a continuous fire. This 
halt was mistaken by the Dervishes, who thought that the 
courage of the Soudanese was exhausted, and Fadil from the 
opposite bank sounded the charge on drum and bugle, and 
the whole Dervish force with banners waving and exultant 
shouts poured down to annihilate their assailants. 

But the Soudanese, led by Colonels Lewis and Mason, who 
were accompanied by Gregory, leapt to their feet, ran up the 
low bank behind which they were sheltering, and opened a 
terrible fire. The Dervishes were already close at hand, and 
every shot told among them. Astonished at so unlooked-for 
a reception, and doubtless remembering the heavy loss they 
had suffered at Gedareh, they speedily broke. Like dogs 
slipped from their leash the black troops dashed on with 
triumphant shouts, driving the Dervishes from sand-hill to 
I sand-hill until the latter reached the southern end of the 
island. Here the Soudanese were joined by the irregulars 
I who had first crossed, and a terrible fire was maintained from 
j the sand-hills upon the crowded mass on the bare sand, cut 
off from all retreat by the deep river. Some tried to swim 
j across to join their friends on the west bank; a few succeeded 
in doing so, among them the Emir who had given battle to 
Colonel Parsons’ force near Gedareh. 

Many took refuge from the fire by standing in the river up 
to their necks. Some four hundred succeeded in escaping 
by a ford to a small island lower down, but they found no 
cover there, and after suffering heavily from the musketry 
' fire the survivors, three hundred strong, surrendered. Major 
I Ferguson’s company, however, was still exposed to a heavy 
fire turned upon them by the force on the other side of the 
river; he himself was severely wounded and a third of his 
men hit. The Maxims were accordingly carried over the 


348 


WITH KITCHENEE IN' THE SOUDAN 


river to the island and placed so as to command the west 
bank, which they soon cleared of the riflemen. Over five | 
hundred Arabs lay dead on the two islands. Two thousand 
one hundred and seventy-five fighting men surrendered, and 
several hundred women and children. Fadil, with the force | 
that had escaped, crossed the desert to Kung, on the White f 
Nile, where on the 22nd of January they surrendered to the | 
English gun-boats, their leader, with ten or twelve of his 
followers only, escaping to join the Khalifa. Our casualties i 
were heavy. Twenty-five non-commissioned officers and men i 
were killed, one British officer, six native officers, and one 
hundred and seventeen non-commissioned officers and men | 
wounded of the 10th Soudanese, out of a total strength of 
five hundred and eleven. The remaining casualties were I 
among the irregulars. | 

Never was there a better proof of the gallantry of the black 
regiments of Egypt, for, including the commander and medi- ; 
cal officer, there were but five British officers and two British ! 
sergeants to direct and lead them. 

After the battle of Bosaires there was a lull in the fighting 
on the east of the White Nile. The whole country had been i 
cleared of the Dervishes, and it was now time for the Sirdar, 
who had just returned from England, to turn his attention 
to the Khalifa. The latter was known to be near El Obeid, 
where he had now collected a force of whose strength very 
different reports were received. Gregory, whose exertions 
in the fight and the march through the scrub from Karkoj 
had brought on a slight return of fever, went down in the 
gun-boat with the wounded to Omdurman. 

Zaki was with him, but as a patient; he had been hit 
through the leg while charging forward with the Soudanese. 
At Omdurman Gregory fell into regular work again. So I 
many of the officers of the Egyptian battalions had fallen in j 
battle, or were down with fever, that Colonel Wingate took 
him as his assistant, and his time was now spent in listening ; 
to the stories of tribesmen, who, as soon as the Khalifa’s force i 


THE CROWNING VICTORY 


349 


. I 

' I had passed, had brought in very varying accounts of his 
’ j strength. Then there were villagers who had complaints to 
I make of robbery, of ill-usage — for this the Arab irregulars, 

I who had been disbanded after the capture of Omdurman, 
j were largely responsible. Besides these there were many pe- 
I titions by fugitives, who had returned to find their houses 
j occupied and their land seized by others. Gregory was con- 
i stantly sent off to investigate and decide in these disputes, 
j and was sometimes away for a week at a time. Zaki had 
I recovered rapidly, and as soon as he was able to rise accom- 
panied his master, who obtained valuable assistance from him, 
as, while Gregory was hearing the stories of witnesses, Zaki 
went quietly about the villages talking to the old men and 
women, and frequently obtained evidence that showed that 
many of the witnesses were perjured, and so enabled his mas- 
: ter to give decisions which as’tonished the people by their 
' justness. 

i Indeed, the reports of the extraordinary manner in which 
he seemed able to pick out truth from falsehood, and to 
decide in favour of the rightful claimant, spread so rapidly 
from village to village that claimants who came in to Colonel 
Wingate often requested urgently that the young Bimbashi 
I should be sent out to investigate the matter. “You seem 
to be attaining the position of a modern Solomon, Hilliard,” 

' the Colonel said one day with a smile ; “ how do you do it ? ” 
Gregory laughed, and told him the manner in which he 
! got at the truth. 

! “ An excellent plan,” he said, “ and one which it would be 

j well to adopt generally by sending men beforehand to a vil- 
lage. The only objection is, that you could not rely much 
more upon the reports of your spies than on those of the 
villagers. The chances are that the claimant who could bid 
highest would receive their support.” 

Matters were quiet until the Sirdar returned from Eng- 
land, and determined to make an attempt to capture the 
Khalifa, whose force was reported not to exceed one thousand 


350 


WITH KITCHENEE IN’ THE SOUDAN 


men. Two squadrons of Egyptian cavalry and a Soudanese 
brigade, two Maxims, two mule-guns, and a company of ’ 
camel corps were placed under the command of Colonel 
Kitchener. The great difficulty was the lack of water along 
the route to be traversed. Camels were brought from the 
Atbara and the Blue Nile, and the whole were collected at 
Kawa on the White Nile. They started from that point, but 
the wells were found to be dry, and the force had to retrace 
its steps and to start afresh from Koli, some forty miles 
farther up the river. 

They endured great hardships, for everything was left be- 
hind save the clothes the men and officers stood in, and one 
hundred rounds of ammunition each, only one pint of water 
being allowed per head. The country was a desert, covered | 
with interlacing thorn bushes. An eight days^ march brought ! 
the force to a village which was considered sacred, as it con- 
tained the grave of the Khalifa’s father and the house where 
the Khalifa himself had been born. Three days later they 
reached the abandoned camp of the Khalifa, a wide tract that 
had been cleared of bush. A great multitude of dwellings 
constructed of spear-grass stretched away for miles, and at 
the very lowest compilation it had contained twenty thou- 
sand people, of which it was calculated that from eight thou- 
sand to ten thousand must have been fighting men, ten times 
as many as had before been reported to be with the Khalifa. ( 

A reconnaissance showed that a large army was waiting to 
give battle on a hill which was of great strength, surrounded 
by deep ravines and pools of water. The position was an 
anxious one. The total force was about fourteen hundred 
strong, and a defeat would mean annihilation, while even a 
victory would scarcely secure the capture of the Khalifa, who 
with his principal emirs, Osman Digna, El Khatim the Sheik 
of El Obeid, the Sheik Ed Din, and Fadil, would be able to 
gallop off if they saw the battle going against them. Colonel 
Kitchener had the wisdom to decide against risking the de- 
struction of his followers by an assault against so great a 


THE CROWNING VICTORY 


351 


force posted in so strong a position. It was a deep mortifi- 
cation to him to have to retreat, and the soldiers were bitterly 
disappointed, but their commander felt that, brave as the 
Egyptians and Soudanese had shown themselves, the odds 
against victory were too great. After a terrible march and 
great sufferings from thirst and scanty food the force reached 
Koli on the 5th of February, and were conveyed in steamers 
down to Omdurman. 

After this somewhat unfortunate affair, which naturally 
added to the prestige of the Khalifa, the months passed un- 
eventfully, but late in October preparations were made for 
an attack upon a large scale against the Khalifa’s camp, and 
eight thousand men were concentrated at Karla on the White 
Nile. It was known that the Khalifa was at Gedir, eighty 
miles away, but after proceeding half the distance it was 
found that he had marched away, and the column returned, 
as pursuit through a densely-wooded country would have 
been impracticable. 

The gun-boats had gone up the river with a flying col- 
umn under Colonel Lewis, to check any of the Khalifa’s 
forces that attempted to establish themselves on the banks. 
Mounted troops and transport were at once concentrated, and 
Colonel Wingate was sent up to take command. The force 
consisted of a brigade of infantry under Colonel Lewis, with 
the 9th and 13th Soudanese, an irregular Soudanese battal- 
ion, a company of the 2nd Egyptians, six companies of camel 
corps, a squadron of cavalry, a field-battery, six Maxims, and 
detachments of medical and supply departments, with a camel 
transport train to carry rations and three days’ water — in 
all, three thousand seven hundred men. 

On the afternoon of the 21st of November the column 
moved forward, and favoured by a bright moonlight made 
a march of fifteen miles, the cavalry scouting two miles in 
front, the flanks and rear being covered by the camel corps. 
Native reports had brought in information that Fadil, who 
had been raiding the country, was now in the neighbourhood 


352 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


on his way to rejoin the main Dervish army, which was lying 
near Gadi. The cavalry pushed forward at dawn and found 
that Fadil had retreated, leaving a quantity of grain behind. 
A sick Dervish who had remained there said that the Der- 
vishes had moved to a point seven miles away. The cavalry, 
camel corps, and some of the guns advanced and seized a 
position within three hundred yards of the Dervish encamp- 
ment, on which they immediatelj'^ opened fire. 

The rest of the guns were at once pushed forward to re- 
inforce them, and arrived in time to assist them in repulsing 
a fierce attack of the Dervishes. Owing to the nature of the 
ground these were able to approach to within sixty yards of 
the guns before coming under their fire. They were then 
mowed down by the guns and Maxims and the musketry fire 
of the camel corps, to which was added that of the infantry 
brigade when they arrived. This was too much even for 
Dervish valour to withstand, and they fled back to their camp. 
The British force then advanced. They met with but little 
opposition, and as they entered the camp they saw the enemy 
in full flight. The infantry followed them for a mile and a 
half, while the cavalry and camel corps kept up the pursuit 
for five miles. FadiFs camp, containing a large amount of 
grain and other stores, fell into the hands of the captors, 
with a number of prisoners, including women and children, 
and animals. Four hundred Dervishes had fallen, great 
numbers had been wounded, while the British casualties 
amounted to a native ofiicer of the camel corps dangerously 
wounded, one man killed, and three wounded. 

Gregory had accompanied Colonel Wingate and acted as 
one of his staff-officers. He had of course brought his horse 
with him. It was an excellent animal, and had been used by 
him in all his excursions from Omdurman. “ That is rather 
a different affair from the fight on the Atbara, Zaki,” he said, 
when the force gathered in FadiFs camp after the pursuit 
was relinquished ; the Dervishes fought just as bravely, but 
in one case they had a strong position to defend, while to-day 
they took the offensive; it makes all the difference.” 


THE CROWHIHG VICTORY 


353 


“ I am glad to have seen some fighting again, master, for it 
has been dull work stopping ten months in Omdurman with 
nothing to do but ride about the country and decide upon 
the villagers’ quarrels.” 

“ It has been useful work, Zaki, and I consider myself very 
fortunate in being so constantly employed. I was desper- 
ately afraid that Colonel Wingate would leave me there, and 
I was greatly relieved when he told me that I was to come 
with him. It is a fortunate thing that we have beaten our 
old enemy, Fadil, here; in the first place, because if the three 
or .four thousand men he had with him had joined the 
Khalifa it would have given us harder work in to-morrow’s 
fight, and in the next place his arrival, with his followers 
who have escaped, at the Khalifa’s camp is not likely to in- 
spirit the Dervishes there.” 

Gregory was occupied all the afternoon in examining the 
prisoners. They afiirmed that they had left the former camp 
three days before with the intention of proceeding to Gedid, 
where Fadil was to join the Khalifa with captured grain, 
when the whole Dervish force was to march north. The 
troops slept during the afternoon, and in the evening set out 
for Gedid, which they reached at ten o’clock the next morn- 
ing. A Dervish deserter reported that the Khalifa was en- 
camped seven miles to the south-east. Fortunately, a pool 
with sufiicient water for the whole force was found at Gedid, 
which was a matter of great importance, for otherwise the 
expedition must have fallen back. 

It was hoped that the Khalifa would now stand at bay, as 
our occupation of Gedid barred his advance north. Behind 
him was a waterless and densely wooded district. The capt- 
ure of the grain on which he had relied would render it 
impossible for him to remain long in his present position, 
and his only chance of extricating himself was to stand and 
fight. 

After twelve hours’ rest the troops were roused, and started 
a few minutes after midnight. The transport was left under 


354 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


a strong guard near the water, with orders to follow four 
hours later. The cavalry, with two Maxims, moved in ad- 
vance, and the camel corps on the flanks. The ground was 
thickly wooded; in many places a way had to be cut for the 
guns. At three o’clock news was received from the cavalry 
that the enemy’s camp was but three miles distant from the 
point which the infantry had reached, and that they and the 
Maxims had halted two miles ahead at the foot of some 
slightly rising ground, beyond which the scouts had on the 
previous day discovered the main force of the enemy to be 
stationed. The infantry continued to advance slowly and 
cautiously, making as little noise as possible. 

It was soon evident, however, that in spite of their caution 
the enemy were aware of their approach, as there was an out- 
burst of the beating of drums and the blowing of war-horns. 
This did not last long, but it was enough to show that the 
Dervishes were not to be taken by surprise. When the infan- 
try reached the spot where the cavalry were halted, the lat- 
ter’s scouts were withdrawn and the infantry pickets thrown 
out, and the troops then lay down to await daybreak. The 
officers chatted together in low tones; there were but two 
hours till dawn, and with the prospect of heavy fighting 
before them none were inclined to sleep. The question was, 
whether the Dervishes would defend their camp or attack. 
The result of the battle of Omdurman should have taught 
them that it was impossible to come to close quarters in the 
face of the terrible fire of our rifles. Fadil could give his 
experience at Gedareh, which would teach the same lesson. 
On the other hand, the storming of the Dervish camp on the 
Atbara and the fight at Rosaires would both seem to show 
them that the assault of the Egyptian force was irresistible. 
As Gregory had been present at all four of these battles he 
was asked to give his opinion. 

I think that they will attack,” he said. “ The Dervish 
leaders rely upon the enthusiasm of their followers, and in 
almost all the battles we have fought here they have rushed 


THE CROWNING VICTORY 


355 


fonvard to the assault. It was so in all the fights down by 
the Red Sea; it was so in the attacks on Lord Wolseley’s 
desert column; it succeeded against Hicks’s and Baker’s 
forces; and even now they do not seem to have recognized 
that the Egyptians, whom they once despised, have quite got 
over their dread of them, and are able to face them steadily.” 

There was only the faintest light in the sky when firing 
broke out -in front. Everyone leapt to his feet and stood 
listening intently. Was it merely some Dervish scouts who 
had come in contact with our pickets, or was it an attacking 
force? The firing increased in volume, and was evidently 
approaching. The pickets, then, were being driven in, and 
the Dervishes were going to attack. The men were ordered 
to lie down in the position in which they were to fight. In 
five minutes after the first shot all were ready for action, the 
pickets had run in, and in the dim light numbers of dark 
figures could be made out. The guns and Maxims at once 
spoke out, while the infantry fired volleys. It was still too 
dark to make- out the movements of the enemy, but their 
reply to our fire came louder and louder on our left, and it 
was apparent that the intention of the Dervishes was to turn 
that flank of our position. 

Colonel Wingate sent Gregory to order the guns to turn 
their fire more in that direction, and other ofiicers ordered 
our right to advance somewhat, while the left were slightly 
thrown back and pushed farther out. The light was now 
getting brighter, and heavy bodies of Dervishes, shouting 
and firing, rushed forward, but they were mown down by 
grape from our guns, a storm of Maxim bullets, and the 
steady volleys of the infantry. They wavered for a moment, 
and then gradually fell back. The bugles sounded the ad- 
vance, and with a cheer our whole line moved forward down 
the gentle slope, quickening their pace as the enemy retired 
before them, and still keeping up a heavy fire towards the 
clump of trees that concealed the Dervish camp from sight. 
The enemy’s fire had now died out; at twenty-five minutes 


356 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


past six the “ cease fire ” was sounded, and as the troops ad- 
vanced it was evident that resistance was at an end. 

As they issued through the trees many Dervishes ran for- 
ward and surrendered, and thousands of women and children 
were found in the camp. Happily none of these had been 
injured, as a slight swell in the ground had prevented our 
bullets from falling among them. Numbers of Dervishes 
who had passed through now turned and surrendered, and 
the cavalry and camel corps started in pursuit. Gregory had 
learned from the women that the Emir El Khatim, with a 
number of his trained men from El Obeid, had passed 
through the camp in good order, but that none of the other 
emirs had been seen, and the 9th Soudanese stated that as 
they advanced they had come upon a number of chiefs lying 
together, a few hundred yards in advance of our first position. 
One of the Arab sheiks of the irregulars was sent to examine 
the spot, and reported that the Khalifa himself and almost 
all his great emirs lay there dead. 

With the Khalifa were Ali Wad, Helu, Fadil, two of his 
brothers, the Mahdi’s son, and many other leaders. Behind 
them lay their dead horses, and one of the men still alive 
said that the Khalifa, having failed in his attempt to advance 
over the crest, had endeavoured to turn our position, but 
seeing his followers crushed by our fire and retiring, and 
after making an ineffectual attempt to rally them, he recog- 
nized that the day was lost, and calling on his emirs to dis- 
mount, seated himself on his sheep-skin, as is the custom 
of Arab chiefs who disdain to surrender. The emirs seated 
themselves round him, and all met their death unflinchingly, 
the greater part being mowed down by the volleys fired by 
our troops as they advanced. 

Gregory went up to Colonel Wingate. I beg your par- 
don, sir, but I find that Khatim, and probably his son, who 
were so kind to my father at El Obeid, have retired with a 
fighting force. Have I your permission to ride forward and 
call upon them to surrender ? ” 



CKASED 






THE CKOWNING VICTOEY 357 

Certainly, Mr. Hilliard, there has been bloodshed 
enough.” 

Being well mounted, Gregory overtook the cavalry and 
camel corps before they had gone two miles, as they were 
delayed by disarming the Dervishes, who were coming in 
in large numbers. Half a mile away a small body of men 
were to be seen keeping together, firing occasionally; their 
leader’s flag was flying, and Gregory learned "^rom a native 
that it was Khatim’s. The cavalry were on the point of 
gathering for a charge as he rode up to the officer in com- 
mand. 

“ I have Colonel Wingate’s orders, sir, to ride forward and 
try to persuade the emir to surrender; he does not wish any 
further loss of life.” 

“Very well, sir; I am sure we have killed enough of the 
poor beggars. I hope he will give in.” 

As Gregory neared the party, which was some five hundred 
strong, several shots were fired at him; he waved a white 
handkerchief and the firing ceased. Two emirs rode forward 
to meet him. 

“ I have come, sir, from the English General to ask you to 
surrender. Your cause is lost; the Khalifa is dead, and 
most of his principal emirs. He is anxious that there should 
be no further loss of blood.” 

“We can die, sir, as the others have done,” the elder emir, 
a man of some sixty years old, said sternly. 

“ But that would not avail your cause, sir. I solicited this 
mission as I owe much to you.” 

“ How can that be ? ” the chief asked. 

“ I am the son of that white man whom you so kindly 
treated at El Obeid, where he saved the life of your son 
Abu ; ” and he bowed to the younger emir. 

“ Then he escaped ? ” the latter exclaimed. 

“Ko, sir; he was killed at Hebbeh when the steamer in 
which he was going down from Khartoum was wrecked there; 
but I found his journal, in which he told the story of your 


358 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

kindness to him. I can assure you that you shall be well 
treated if you surrender, and those of your men who wish 
to do so will be allowed to return to El Obeid. I feel sure 
that when I tell our General how kindly you acted to the sole 
white officer who escaped from the battle, you and your son 
will be treated with the greatest consideration.” 

“ I owe more to your father than he did to me,” Abu ex- 
claimed ; “ he saved my life and did many great services to us. 
What say you. Father? I am ready to die if you will it; 
but as the Khalifa is dead and the cause of Mahdism lost, 
I see no reason, and assuredly no disgrace, in submitting to 
the will of Allah.” 

So be it,” IGiatim said. “ I have never thought of sur- 
rendering to the Turks, but as it is the will of Allah I will 
do so.” 

He turned to his men. “ It is useless to fight further,” 
he said, “the Khalifa is dead. It were better to return to 
your wives and families than to throw away your lives. Lay 
down your arms; none will be injured.” 

It was with evident satisfaction that the Arabs laid musket 
and spear on the ground. They would have fought to the 
death had he ordered them, for they greatly loved their old 
chief, but as it was his order they gladly complied with it, 
as they saw that they had no chance of resisting the array 
of cavalry and camel corps gathered less than half a mile 
away. 

“ If you will ride back with me,” Gregory said to the emir, 
“ I will present you to the General. The men had better 
follow. I will ride forward and tell the officer commanding 
the cavalry that you have surrendered, and that the men 
approaching are unarmed.” 

He cantered back to the cavalry. “ They have all sur- 
rendered, sii?’ he said ; “ they have laid down their arms at 
the place where they stood, and are going back to camp to 
surrender to Colonel Wingate.” 

“ I am glad of it. My ordei*s are to push on another three 


THE CROWNING VICTORY 359 

miles; on our return the camel corps shall collect the arms 
and bring them in.” 

Gregory rode back to the emirs, who were slowly crossing 
the plain, but who halted as the cavalry dashed on. “ Now, 
Emirs,” he said, “ we can ride quietly back to camp.” 

“You have not taken our arms,” Khatim said. 

“No, Emir, it is not for me to ask for them; it is the 
General to whom you surrender, not me.” 

“ I mourn to hear of the death of your father,” Abu said, 
as they rode in ; “ he was a good man and a skilful hakim.” 

“ He speaks always in the highest terms of you, Emir, in 
his journal, and tells how he performed that operation on 
your left arm which was necessary to save your life, but did 
so with great doubt, fearing that, never having performed 
one before, he might fail to save your life.” 

“ I have often wondered what became of him,” Abu said. 
“I believed that he had got safely into Khartoum, and I 
enquired about him when we entered. When I found that 
he was not among the killed I trusted that he might have 
escaped. I grieve much to hear that he was killed while on 
his way down.” 

“ Such was the will of Allah,” Khatim said. “ He pre- 
served him at the battle. He preserved him in the town. He 
enabled him to reach Khartoum; but it was not His will 
that he should return to his countrymen. I say with Abu 
that he was a good man, and while he remained with us was 
ever ready to use his skill for our benefit. It was AllaVs 
will that his son should after all these years come to us, for 
assuredly if any other white officer had asked us to surrender 
I would have refused.” 

“ Many strange things happen by the will of God,” Gregory 
said. “ It was wonderful that, sixteen years after his death, 
I should find my father’s journal at Hebbeh and learn the 
story of his escape after the battle and of his stay with you 
at El Obeid.” 

Gregory rode into camp between the two emirs. He 


360 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


paused for a minute and handed over their followers to the 
officer in charge of the prisoners, and then went to the hut 
formerly occupied by the Khalifa, where Colonel Wingate 
had now established himself. Colonel Wingate came to the 
entrance. 

“ These are El Khatim and his son Abu, sir. They sur- 
rendered on learning that I was the son of the British officer 
whom they had protected and sheltered for a year after the 
battle of El Obeid.” 

The two emirs had withdrawn their swords and pistols 
from their sashes, and advancing, offered them to the Colonel. 
The latter did not offer to receive them. 

“ Keep them,” he said, we can honour brave foes ; and 
you and your followers were ready to fight and die when all 
seemed lost. Still more do I refuse to receive the weapons 
of the men who defended an English officer when he was 
helpless and a fugitive; such an act would alone ensure good 
treatment at our hands. Your followers have surrendered? ” 

“ They have all laid down their arms,” Khatim said. 

“ Do you give me your promise that you will no more fight 
against us ? ” 

“We do,” Khatim replied; “ we have received our weapons 
back from you and would assuredly not use them against our 
conquerors.” 

“In that case, Emir, you and your son are at liberty to 
depart, and your men can return with you. There will, I 
trust, be no more fighting in the land. The Mahdi is dead, 
his successor proved a false prophet and is dead also. Mah- 
dism is at an end, and now our object will be to restore peace 
and prosperity to the land. In a short time all the pris- 
oners will be released. Those who choose will be allowed 
to enter our servic4^; the rest can return to their homes. We 
bear no enmity against them; they fought under the orders 
of their chiefs, and fought bravely and well. When they 
return I hope they will settle down and cultivate the land, 
and undo, as far as may be, the injuries they have inflicted 
upon it. 


THE CROWNING VICTORY 


361 


I will write an order, Mr. Hilliard, to release at once the 
men you have brought in; then I will ask you to ride with 
these emirs to a point where there will be no fear of their 
falling in with our cavalry.” 

“ You are a generous enemy,” Khatim said, “ and we thank 
you. We give in our allegiance to the Egyptian government, 
and henceforth regard ourselves as its servants.” 

See, Mr. Jlilliard, that the party takes sufficient food 
with it for their journey to El Obeid.” 

Colonel Wingate stepped forward and shook hands with 
the two emirs. 

“ You are no longer enemies,” he said, and I know that 
henceforth I shall be able to rely upon your loyalty.” 

We are beaten,” J^hatim said, as they walked away, each 
leading his horse. ^^You can fight like men, and we who 
thought ourselves brave have been driven before you like 
dust before the wind. And now when you are masters you 
can forgive as we should never have done, you can treat us 
as friends; you do not even take our arms, and we can ride 
into El Obeid with our heads high.” 

“ It will be good for the Soudan,” Abu said. Your father 
told me often how peace and prosperity would return were 
you ever to become our masters, and I felt that his words 
were true. Two hours ago I regretted that Allah had not 
let me die, so that I should not have lived to see our people 
conquered; now I am glad. I believe all that he said, and 
that the Soudan will some day become again a happy coun- 
try.” 

Khatim^s men were separated from the rest of the pris- 
oners. Six days’ supply of grain from the stores found in 
the camp were handed over to them, together with ten camels 
with water-skins, and they started at once on their long 
march. Gregory rode out for a couple of miles with them 
and then took leave of the two emirs. 

“ Come to El Obeid,” Khatim said, and you shall be 
treated as a king. Farewell! and may Allah preserve you! ” 


362 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 


So they parted ; and Gregory rode back to the camp with a 
feeling of much happiness that he had been enabled in some 
way to repay the kindness shown to his dead father. 


CHAPTER XXIII 

AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERT 

T he victory had been a decisive one indeed. Three thou- 
sand prisoners, great quantities of rifles, swords, grain, 
and cattle had been captured, together with six thousand 
women and children. A thousand Dervishes had been killed 
or wounded; all the most important emirs had been killed, 
and the Sheik Ed Din, the Khalifa’s eldest son and intended 
successor, was, with twenty-nine other emirs, among the 
prisoners. Our total loss was four men killed and two offi- 
cers and twenty-seven men wounded in the action. 

“ I am much obliged to you, Mr. Hilliard,” Colonel Win- 
gate said to him that evening, “ for the valuable services 
you have rendered, and shall have the pleasure of including 
your name among the officers who have specially distin- 
guished themselves. As it was mentioned by General Rundle 
and Colonel Parsons — by the former for undertaking the 
hazardous service of carrying despatches to the latter, and 
by Colonel Parsons for gallant conduct in the field — you 
ought to be sure of promotion when matters are arranged 
here.” 

Thank you very much, sir! May I ask a favour? You 
know the outline of my story. I have learned by the papers 
I obtained at Hebbeh, and others which I was charged not to 
open until I had certain proof of my father’s death, that the 
name under which he was known was an assumed one. He 
had had a quarrel with his family, and as, when he came out 
to Egypt, he for a time took a subordinate position, he 


AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVEKY 363 

dropped a portion of his name, intending to resume it when 
he had done something that even his family could not con- 
sider was any discredit to it. I was myself unaware of the 
fact until, on returning to Omdurman from Hebbeh, I 
opened those papers. I continued to bear the name by which 
I am known, but as you are good enough to say that you 
will mention me in despatches, I feel that I can now say that 
my real name is Gregory Hilliard Hartley.” 

quite appreciate your motives in adhering to your 
former name, Mr. Hartley, and in mentioning your services 
under your new name I will add a note saying that your 
name mentioned in former despatches for distinguished ser- 
vices had been erroneously given as Gregory Hilliard only.” 

“ Thank you very much, sir ! ” 

That evening, when several of the officers were gathered 
in Colonel Wingate’s hut, the latter said, when one of them 
addressed Gregory as “ Hilliard ” : 

That is not his full name. Colonel Hickman. For vari- 
ous family reasons, with which he has acquainted me, he has 
borne it hitherto, but he will in future be known by his entire 
name, which is Gregory Hilliard Hartley. I may say that 
the reasons he has given me for not having hitherto used 
the family name are in my opinion amply sufficient, involv- 
ing, as they do, no discredit to himself or his father, a brave 
gentleman who escaped from the massacre of Hicks’s force 
at El Obeid, and finally died with Colonel Stewart at Heb- 
beh.” 

“ I seem to know the name,” Colonel Lewis said. “ Greg- 
ory Hilliard Hartley ! I have certainly either heard or seen 
it somewhere. May I ask if your father bore the same 
Christian names ? ” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“I have it now ! ” Colonel Lewis exclaimed a minute or two 
later. “I have seen it in an advertisement. Ever since I 
was a boy that name has occasionally been advertised for. 
Every two or three months it appeared in the Times. I can 


364 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


see it plainly now. ‘Five hundred pounds reward will be 
given for any information concerning the present abode or 
death of Gregory Hilliard Hartley, or the whereabouts of 
his issue, if any. He left England about the year 1881. It 
is supposed that he went to the United States or to one of 
the British Colonies. Apply to Messrs. Tufton & Sons, 
solicitors, Lincoln’s Inn Fields.’ 

“ Ho you know when your father left England ? ” 

“He certainly left about that time. I am nineteen now, 
and I know that I was born a few weeks after he came out to 
Alexandria.” 

“ Then there ought to be something good in store for you,” 
Colonel Wingate said; “people don’t offer a reward of five 
hundred pounds unless something important hangs to it. 
Of course there may be another of the same name, but it is 
hardly likely that anyone would bear the two same Christian 
names as well as surname. Is it indiscreet to ask you if you 
know anything about your father’s family ? ” 

“ Not at all, sir. Now that I have taken his name I need 
have no hesitation in relating what I know of him. Previous 
to his leaving England he married without his father’s con- 
sent, and failing to make a living in England he accepted a 
situation in Alexandria, which he gained, I may say, because 
he was an excellent Arabic scholar, as he had spent two years 
in exploring tombs and monuments in Egypt. He was the 
second son of the Honourable James Hartley, who was 
brother, and I believe heir, of the Marquis of Langdale, and 
I should think by this time has succeeded to the title. At 
his death my father’s eldest brother would of course succeed 
him.” 

“ Then, my dear fellow,” Colonel Mahon said, giving him 
a hearty slap on the shoulder, “ allow me to congratulate you. 
I can tell you that the title has been in abeyance for the 
past fourteen years. Everyone knows the facts. Your 
grandfather died before the Marquis. Your uncle succeeded 
him, lived only three years, and being unmarried, your 


AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVEKY 


365 


father became the next Earl, and has been advertised for in 
vain ever since. As, unhappily, your father is dead also, 
you are unquestionably the Marquis of Langdale.” 

Gregory looked round with a bewildered air. The news 
was so absolutely unexpected that he could hardly take 
it in. 

“ It seems impossible,” he said at last. 

‘^It is not only impossible, but a fact,” the Colonel said. 

There is nothing very surprising in it. There were only 
two lives between your father and the peerage, and as one 
was that of an old man, the second of a man certainly in 
the prime of life but unmarried, why, the Jews would have 
lent money on the chance. I fancy your uncle was a some- 
what extravagant man. I remember he kept a lot of race- 
horses and so on, but he could not have dipped very seriously 
into the property. At any rate there will be fourteen years’ 
accumulations, which will put matters straight. I hope you 
have got papers that will prove you are your father’s son, and 
that he was brother of the late Earl.” 

“I think there can be no difficulty about that,” Gregory 
said. “ I have letters from both my parents, a copy of their 
marriage certificate, and of the registers of my birth and 
baptism. There are some persons in Cairo who knew my 
father, and a good many who knew my mother.” 

“ Then I should say that it would be quite safe sailing. 
I don’t know, Lewis, whether you are not entitled to that 
five hundred pounds.” 

“ I am afraid not,” the other laughed. Mr. Hartley, or 
rather, I should say, the Earl, would have discovered it him- 
self. I only recognized the name, which plenty of people 
would have done as soon as they saw it in despatches.” 

“ It will be a great disappointment to someone,” Gregory 
said, if they have been for fourteen years expecting to come 
in for this.” 

^‘You need not fret about that,” another officer said. 

The next heir is a distant cousin. He has been trying over 


36G 


WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 


and over again to get himself acknowledged, but the courts 
would not hear of it, and told him that it was no use apply- 
ing until they had proof of the death of your father. I 
know all about it, because there was a howling young ass in 
the regiment from which I exchanged. He was always giv- 
ing himself airs on the strength of the title he expected to 
get, and if he is still in the regiment there will be general 
rejoicings at his downfall.” 

Then I have met him,” Gregory said. “ On the way up 
he made himself very unpleasant, and I heard from the other 
officers that he was extremely unpopular. The Major spoke 
very sharply to him for the offensive tone in which he ad- 
dressed me; and an officer sitting next to me said that he 
was terribly puffed by his expectations of obtaining a title 
shortly, owing to the disappearance of those who stood before 
him in succession. Some of the officers chaffed him about it 
then. I remember now that his name was Hartley; but as I 
had no idea at that time that that was also mine, I never 
thought anything more about it until now. As he was the 
only officer who has been in any way offensive to me since 
I left Cairo nearly three years ago, certainly I would rather 
that he should be the sufferer, if I succeed in proving my 
right to the title, than anyone else.” 

I don’t think he will suffer except in pride,” the officer 
said. ^‘His father, who was a very distant cousin of the 
Earl’s, had gone into trade and made a considerable fortune, 
so that the young fellow was a great deal better off than the 
vast majority of men in the army. It was the airs he gave 
himself, on the strength of being able to indulge in an ex- 
penditure such as no one else in the regiment could attempt 
' — by keeping three or four race-horses in training, and other 
follies — that had more to do with his unpopularity than his 
constant talk about the peerage he was so confident of get- 
ting.” 

Of course you will go home to England at once,” Colonel 
Wingate said. “ The war is over now, and it would be rank 


AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVEKY 


367 


folly for you to stay here. You have got the address of the 
lawyers who advertised for you, and have only to go straight 
to them with your proofs in your hand, and they will take all 
the necessary steps. I should say that it would facilitate 
matters if, as you go through Cairo, you were to obtain 
statements or affidavits from some of the people who knew 
your mother, stating that you are, as you claim to be, her 
son, and that she was the wife of the gentleman known as 
Gregory Hilliard, who went up as an interpreter with Hicks. 
I don’t say that this would be necessary at all, for the letters 
you have would in themselves go far to prove your case. 
Still, the more proofs you accumulate the less likely there 
is of any opposition being offered to your claim. Any papers 
or letters of your mother might contain something that 
would strengthen the case. It is really a pity, you know, 
when you have done so well out here, and would be certain 
to rise to a high post under the administration of the prov- 
ince (which will be taken in hand in earnest now), that you 
should have to give it all up.” 

“ I scarcely know whether to be pleased or sorry myself, 
sir. At present I can hardly take in the change that this 
will make, or appreciate its advantages.” 

You will appreciate them soon enough,” one of the others 
laughed. “ As long as this war has been going on, one could 
put up with the heat, and the dust, and the horrible thirst 
one gets, and the absence of anything decent to drink; but 
now that it is all over, the idea of settling down here perma- 
nently would be horrible except to men — and there are such 
fellows — who are never happy unless they are at work, to 
whom work is everything — meat, and drink, and pleasure. 
It would have to be everything out here, for no one could 
ever think of marrying and bringing a wife to such a country 
as this. Women can hardly live in parts of India, but the 
worst station in India would be a paradise in comparison with 
the Soudan; though possibly in time Khartoum will be re- 
built, and being situated between two rivers might become 


368 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

a possible place— which is more than any other station in the 
Soudan can be — for ladies.” 

“I am not old enough to take those matters into consid- 
eration,” Gregory laughed. “ I am not twenty yet ; still,, I 
do think that anyone permanently stationed in the Soudan 
would have to make up his mind to remain a bachelor.” 

The next morning the greater portion of the prisoners 
were allowed to return to their homes. All the grain and 
other stores found in the camp were divided among the 
women, who were advised to return to their native villages; 
but those who had lost their husbands were told that they 
might accompany the force to the river, and would be taken 
down to Omdurman and given assistance for a time, until 
they could find some means of obtaining a subsistence. 

On returning to Khartoum, Colonel Wingate, at Gregory’s | 
request, told Lord Kitchener of the discovery that had been 
made, and said that he wished to return to England at once. 
The next day the Sirdar sent for Gregory. 

“ Colonel Wingate has been speaking to me about you,” ' 
he said, “ and I congratulate you on your good fortune. In 
one respect I am sorry, for you have done so surprisingly j 
well that I had intended to appoint you to a responsible j 
position in the Soudan Civil Service, which is now being 
formed. Colonel Wingate says that you naturally wish to ■ 
resign your i present post, but I should advise you not to do j 
so. The operation of the law in England is very uncertain. ^ 
I trust that in your case you will meet with but small diffi- 
culty in proving your birth, but there may be some hitch in i 
the matter, some missing link. I will therefore grant you I 
six months’ leave of absence. At the end of that time you i 
will see how you stand. If things have gone on well with i 
you, you can then send in your resignation; if, on the other , 
hand, you find yourself unable to prove your claim, it will i 
still be open to you to return here, and continue the career ! 
in which you have begun so well.” ' 

I am greatly obliged to you, sir, for your kindness ; and ' 


AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERT 860 

should I fail in proving my claim, I shall gladly avail myself 
of your offer at the end of the six months.” 

“ JTow, Zaki,” he said, on returning to the hut, of which he 
had again taken possession, “ we must have one more talk. I 
have told you about the possible change in my position, and 
that I was shortly leaving for England. You begged me to 
take you with me, and I told you that if you decided to go, I 
would do so. I shall be put in orders to-morrow for six 
months’ leave. If I succeed in proving my claim to a title, 
which is what you would call here an emirship, I shall not 
return; if I fail, I shall be back again in six months. Now 
I want you to think it over seriously before you decide. 
Everything will be different there from what you are accus- 
tomed to. You will have to dress differently, live differently, 
and be among strangers. It is very cold there in winter, 
and it is never what you would call hot in summer. It is not 
that I should not like to have you with me ; we have been 
together now for three years. You saved my life at ^tbara, 
and have always been faithfully devoted to me. It is for 
your sake, not my own, that I now speak.” 

I will go with you, master, if you will take me. I hope 
never to leave you till I die.” 

Very well, Zaki, I am more than willing to take you. If 
I remain in England you shall always be with me, if you 
choose to remain. But I shall then be able to give you a sum 
that will enable you to buy much land and to hire men to 
work your sakies, to till your land, and to make you what 
you would call a rich man here, should you wish to return 
at the end of the six months. If I return, you will, of course, 
come back with me.” 

On the following day, after having said good-bye to all his 
friends, disposed of his horse and belongings, and drawn the 
arrears of his pay, Gregory took his place in the train, for 
the railway had now been carried to Khartoum. 

Four days later he arrived at Cairo. His first step was 
to order European clothes for Zaki, and a warm and heavily 


370 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


lined greatcoat, for it was now the first week in December, 
and although delightful at Cairo, it would be to the native 
bitterly cold in England. Then he went to the bank, and 
Mr. Murray, on hearing the story, made an affidavit at the 
British resident’s affirming that he had for fifteen years 
known Mrs. Gregory Hilliard, and was aware that she was 
the widow of Mr. Gregory Hilliard, who joined Hicks Pasha; 
and that Mr. Gregory Hilliard, now claiming to be Mr. 
Gregory Hilliard Hartley, was her son. Mr. Gregory Hill- 
iard senior had kept an account at the bank for eighteen 
months, and had, on leaving, given instructions for Mrs. 
Hilliard’s cheques to be honoured. Mrs. Hilliard had re- 
ceived a pension from the Egyptian government up to the 
date of her death as his widow, he having fallen in the service 
of the Khedive. Gregory looked up his old nurse, whom he 
found comfortable and happy. She also made an affidavit 
to the effect that she had entered the service of Mrs. Hilliard 
more l^an eighteen years before as nurse to Gregory Hilliard, 
then a child of a year old. She had been in her service until 
her death, and she could testify that Gregory Hilliard Hart- 
ley was the child she had nursed. 

After a stay of four days at Cairo, Gregory started for 
England. Even he, who had heard of London from his 
mother, was astonished at its noise, extent, and bustle, while 
Zaki was almost stupefied. He took two rooms at Cannon 
Street Hotel for himself and servant, and next morning went 
to the offices of Messrs. Tufton & Sons, the solicitors. He 
sent in his name as Mr. Gregory Hilliard Hartley. Even in 
the outer office he heard an exclamation of surprise as the 
piece of paper on which he had written his name was read. 
He was at once shown in. Mr. Tufton looked at him with 
a little surprise. 

“ I am the son of the gentleman for whom, I understand, 
you have advertised for a long time.” 

“ If you can prove that you are so, sir,” Mr. Tufton said 
wearily, “ you are the Marquis of Langdale — that is to say. 


AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY 


371 


if your father is deceased. May I ask, to begin with, how 
it is that the advertisement has for so many years remained 
unanswered ? 

“ That is easily accounted for, sir. My father, being un- 
able to obtain a situation in England, accepted a very minor 
appointment in the house of Messrs. Partridge & Co. at Alex- 
andria. This he obtained owing to his knowledge of Arabic. 
He had been engaged, as you doubtless know, for two years 
in explorations there. He did not wish it to be known that 
he had been obliged to accept such a position, so he dropped 
his surname and went out as Gregory Hilliard. As the firm’s 
establishment at Alexandria was burned during the insurrec- 
tion there, he went to Cairo and obtained an appointment as 
interpreter to General Hicks. He escaped when the army 
of that officer was destroyed at El Obeid, was a prisoner for 
many months at that town, and then escaped to Khartoum. 
He came down in the steamer with Colonel Stewart. That 
steamer was wrecked at Hebbeh, and all on board, with one 
exception, were massacred. My mother always retained some 
hope that he might have escaped, from his knowledge of 
Arabic. She received a small pension from the Egyptian 
government for the loss of my father, and added to this by 
teaching in the families of several Turkish functionaries. 
Three years ago she died, and I obtained, through the kind- 
ness of Lord Kitchener, an appointment as interpreter in the 
Egyptian army. I was present at the fights of Abu Hamed, 
the Atbara, Omdurman, and the late victory by Colonel Win- 
gate. My name, as Gregory Hilliard, was mentioned in de- 
spatches, and will be mentioned again in that sent by Colonel 
Wingate, but this time with the addition of Hartley. It was 
only accidentally, on the night after that battle, that I 
learned that my father was the heir to the Marquis of Lang- 
dale, and I thereupon obtained six months’ leave to come 
here.” 

“ It is a singular story,” the lawyer said, and if supported 
by proofs there can be no question that you are the Marquis, 
for whom we have been advertising for many years.” 


872 WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN 

I think that I have ample proof, sir. Here is the certifi- 
cate of my father’s marriage, and the copies of the registers 
of my birth and baptism. Here is the journal of my father 
from the time he was taken prisoner till his death ; here are 
his letter to my mother, and letters to his father, brother, 
and sisters, which were to be forwarded by her should she 
choose to return to England. Here are two affidavits — the 
one from a gentleman who has known me from childhood, 
the other from the woman who nursed me, and who remained 
with our family till I reached the Soudan. Here also is a 
letter that I found among my mother’s papers, written from 
Khartoum, in which my father speaks of resuming the name 
of Hartley if things went well there.” 

“ Then, sir,” Mr. Tufton said, “ I think I can congratulate 
you upon obtaining the title; but at the same time I will ask 
you to leave these papers with me for an hour. I will put 
everything else aside and go through them. You understand 
I am not doubting your word, but of course it is necessary 
to ascertain the exact purport of these letters and documents. 
If they are as you say, the evidence in favour of your claim 
would be overwhelming. Of course it is necessary that we 
should be most cautious. We have for upwards of a hundred 
years been solicitors to the family, and as such have contested 
all applications from the junior branch of the family that 
the title should be declared vacant by the death of the last 
Marquis, who would be your uncle. We have been the more 
anxious to do so, as we understand the next claimant is a 
young man of extravagant habits and in no way worthy to 
succeed to the title.” 

“ I will return in an hour and a half, sir,” Gregory said, 
rising. “I may say that the contents of this pocket-book, 
although intensely interesting to myself as a record of my 
father, do not bear upon the title. They are a simple record 
of his life from the time when the army of Hicks Pasha was 
destroyed to the date of his own murder at Hebbeh. The 
last entry was made before he landed. I mention this as it 
may save you time in going through the papers.” 


AIT UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY 


373 


Gregory went out and spent the time in watching the 
wonderful flow of traffic and gazing into the shops, and when 
he returned to the office he was at once shown in. Mr. 
Tufton rose and shook him warmly by the hand. 

I consider these documents to be absolutely conclusive, 
my lord,” he said. “ The letters to your grandfather, uncle, 
an aunts are conclusive as to his identity, and that of your 
mother, strengthened by the two affidavits, is equally con- 
clusive as to your being his son. I will take the necessary 
measures to lay these papers before the court, which has 
several times had the matter in hand, and to obtain a declara- 
tion that you have indisputably proved yourself to be the 
son of the late Gregory Hilliard Hartley, and therefore en- 
titled to the title and estates, with all accumulations, of the 
Marquis of Langdale.” 

“ Thank you very much, sir ! I will leave the matter 
entirely in your hands. Can you tell me the address of my 
aunts? As you will have seen by my father’s letter, he be- 
lieved implicitly in their affection for him.” 

“ Their address is. The Manor House, Wimperton, Tavi- 
stock, Devon. They retired there at the accession of their 
brother to the title. It has been used as a dower house in 
the family for many years, and pending the search for your 
father, I obtained permission for them to continue to reside 
there. I was not obliged to ask for an allowance for them, 
as they had an income under their mother’s marriage- 
settlement sufficient for them to live there in comfort. I 
will not give you the letter addressed to them, as I wish to 
show the original in court; but I will have a copy made for 
you at once, and I will attest it. How may I ask how you 
are situated with regard to money? I have sufficient confi- 
dence in the justice of your claim to advance any sum for 
your immediate wants.” 

Thank you, sir! I am in no need of any advance. My 
mother’s savings amounted to five hundred pounds, of which 
I only drew fifty to buy my outfit when I went up to the 


374 WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

Soudan. My pay sufficed for my wants there, and I drew out 
the remaining four hundred and fifty pounds when I left 
Cairo, so I am amply provided.” 

Gregory remained four days in London, obtaining suitable 
clothes; then, attended by Zaki, he took his place in the 
Great Western for Tavistock. Zaki had already picked up 
a good deal of English, and Gregory talked to him only in 
that language on their way down from the battle-field, so that 
he could now express himself in simple phrases. Mr. Tuf- 
ton had on the previous day written, at Gregory’s request, 
to his aunts, saying that the son of their brother had called 
upon him and given him proofs, which he considered incon- 
testable, of his identity and of the death of his father. He 
was the bearer of a letter from his father to them, and pro- 
posed delivering it the next day in person. He agreed with 
Gregory that it was advisable to send down this letter, as 
otherwise the ladies might doubt whether he was really what 
he claimed to be, as his father’s letter might very well have 
come into the hands of a third person. 

He went down by the night-mail to Tavistock, put up at 
an hotel, and after breakfast drove over to the Manor House, 
and sent in a card which he had had printed in town. He 
was shown into a room where the two ladies were waiting for 
him. They had been some four or five years younger than 
his father, a fact of which he was not aware, and instead of 
being elderly women, as he expected, he found by their ap- 
pearance they were scarcely entering middle age. They were 
evidently much agitated. 

I have come down without waiting for an invitation,” he 
J^aid. “I was anxious to deliver my father’s letter to you, 
or at least a copy of it, as soon as possible. It was written 
before his death, some eighteen years ago, and was intended 
for my mother to give to you should she return to England. 
Its interest to you consists chiefly in the proof of my father’s 
affection for you, and that he felt he could rely on yours for 
him. I may say that this is a copy, signed as correct by Mr. 


AN UNEXPECTED DTSCOVEKY 


375 


Tufton. He could not give me the original, as it would be 
required as an evidence of my father’s identity in the appli- 
cation he is about to make for me to be declared heir to the 
title.” 

“ Then Gregory has been dead eighteen years ! ” the elder 
of the ladies said. “We have always hoped that he would 
be alive in one of the colonies, and that sooner or later he 
would see the advertisement that had been put in the papers.” 

“ Ho, madam; he went out to Alexandria with my mother 
shortly before I was born. He died some three or four years 
before his brother. It was seldom my mother saw an English 
paper. Unfortunately, as it turned out, my father had 
dropped his surname when he accepted a situation, which was 
a subordinate one, at Alexandria, and his reason for taking 
it was, that my mother was in w^eak health and the doctor 
said it was necessary she should go to a warm climate ; there- 
fore had any of her friends seen the advertisement, they 
would not have known that it applied to her. I myself did 
not know that my proper name was Hartley until a year back, 
when I discovered my father’s journal at Hebbeh, the place 
where he was murdered, and then opened the documents that 
my mother had entrusted to me before her death, with an 
injunction not to open them until I had ascertained for cer- 
tain that my father was no longer alive.” 

One of the ladies took the letter and opened it. They read 
it together. “ Poor Gregory ! ” one said, wiping her eyes, 
“ we were both fond of him, and certainly would have done 
all in our power to assist his widow. He was nearer our age 
than Geoffrey. It was a terrible grief to us when he quar- 
relled with our father. Of course our sympathies were with 
Gregory, but we never ventured to say so, and our father 
never mentioned his name from the day he left the house. 
Why did not your mother send his letter to us ? ” 

“ Because she did not need assistance. She was maintain- 
ing herself and me in comfort by teaching music, French, 
and English to the wives and children of several of the high 
Egyptian officials.” 


376 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOHDAN 


^^How long is it since you lost her?” 

More than three years ago. At her death I was fortunate 
enough to obtain an appointment similar to that my father 
had, and at the same time a commission in the Egyptian ser- 
vice, and have been fortunate in being two or three times 
mentioned in despatches.” 

“Yes; curiously enough, after receiving Mr. Tufton^s let- 
ter we saw Colonel Wingate’s despatch in the paper, in which 
your name is mentioned. We should have been astonished 
indeed had we not opened the letter before we looked at the 
paper. Well, Gregory, we are very glad to see you, and to 
find that you have done honour to the name. The despatch 
said that you have been previously mentioned under the 
name of Gregory Hilliard. We always file our papers, and 
we spent an hour after breakfast in going through them. I 
suppose you threw up your appointment as soon as you dis- 
covered that Geoffrey died years ago, and that you had come 
into the title ? ” 

“ I should have thrown it up, but Lord Kitchener was good 
enough to give me six months’ leave, so that if I should fail 
to prove my right to the title, I could return there and take 
up my work again. He was so kind as to say that I, should 
be given a responsible position in the civil administration 
of the Soudan.” 

“Well, we both feel very proud of you, and it does sound 
wonderful that, being under twenty, you should have got on 
so well, without friends or influence. I hope you intend to 
stay with tjs until you have to go up to London about these 
affairs.” 

“ I shall be very happy to stay a few days, Aunt, but it is 
better that I should be on the spot, as there may be questions 
that have to be answered, and signatures, and all sorts of 
things. I have brought my Arab servant down with me. 
He has been with me for three years, and is most faithful 
and devoted, and moreover he once saved my life at tremen- 
dous risk to himself.” 


AN UNEXPECTED DISCO VERY 377 

« Oh, of course we can put him up! Can he speak Eng- 
lish?” 

“ He speaks a little English, and is improving fast.” 

Does he dress as a native ? ” 

^‘Ho, Aunt; he would soon freeze to death in his native 
garb. As soon as I got down to Cairo with him I put him 
into good European clothes. He is a fine specimen of a 
Soudan Arab, but when he came to me he was somewhat 
weakly; however, he soon got over that.” 

“ Where is he now ? ” 

He is with the trap outside, I told him that he had bet- 
ter not come in until I. had seen you, for I thought that your 
domestics would not know what to do with him till they had 
your orders.” 

“You brought your portmanteau with you, I hope?” 

“ I have brought it, but not knowing whether it would be 
wanted, for I did not know whether you would take suffi- 
ciently to me to ask me to stay.” 

“The idea of such a thing! You must have had a bad 
opinion of us.” 

“Ho, Aunt; I had the best of opinions. I am sure that 
my father would not have written as he did to you unless he 
had been very fond of you; still, as at present I am not 
proved to be your nephew, I thought that you might not be 
disposed to ask me to stay. How, with your permission I 
will go and tell Zaki — that is the man’s name — -to bring in 
my portmanteau ; I can then send the trap back.” 

“ Do you know, Gregory,” one of his aunts said that even- 
ing, “ even putting aside the fact that you are our nephew, 
we are delighted that the title and estates are not to go to the 
next heir. He came down here about a year ago, his regiment 
had Just returned from the Soudan. He drove straight to 
the hall and requested to be shown over it, saying that in a 
short time he was going to take possession. The housekeeper 
came across here quite in distress, and said that he talked as 
if he were already master ; said he should make alterations in 


378 


WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 


one place, enlarge the drawing-room, build a conservatory 
against it, do away with some of the pictures on the walls, 
and in fact he made himself very objectionable. He came 
on here, and behaved in a most offensive and ungentlemanly 
way. He actually enquired of us whether we were tenants 
by right or merely on sufferance. I told him that if he 
wanted to know he had better enquire of Mr. Tuft on; and 
Tlossie, who is more outspoken than I am, said at once that 
whether we were tenants for life or not, we should certainly 
hot continue to reside here if so objectionable a person were 
master at the hall. He was very angry, but I cut him short 
by saying, ^ This is our house at present, sir, and unless you 
leave it at once I shall call the gardener in and order him to 
eject you.’’’ 

I am not surprised at what you say. Aunt, for I met the 
fellow myself on the way up to Omdurman, and found him 
an offensive cad. It has been a great satisfaction to me to 
know that he was so, for if he had been a nice fellow I could 
not have helped being sorry to deprive him of the title and 
estates which he has for years considered to be his.” 

After remaining four days at the Manor House, Gregory 
went back to town. A notice had already been served upon 
the former claimant to the title that an application would 
be made to the court to hear the claim of Gregory Hilliard 
Hartley, nephew of the late Marquis, to be acknowledged as 
his successor to the title and estates, and that if he wished 
to appear by counsel he could do so. The matter was not 
heard of for another three months. Lieutenant Hartley was 
in court, and was represented by a queen’s counsel of emi- 
nence, who, however, when Gregory’s narrative had been told, 
and the various documents put in, at once stated that after 
the evidence he had heard, he felt that it would be vain to 
contest the case at this point, but that he reserved the right 
of appealing should anything come to light which would alter 
the complexion of the affair. 

The judgment was that Gregory Hilliard Hartley had 


AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVEKY 


879 


proved himself to be the son of the late Gregory Hilliard 
Hartley, brother of and heir to the late Marquis of Langdale, 
and was therefore seized of the title and estates. As soon 
as the case was decided, Gregory went down again to Devon- 
shire and asked his aunts to take charge for him. This they 
at first said was impossible, but he urged that if they refused 
to do so he should be driven to go back to the Soudan again. 

“ My dear Aunts,” he said, “ what in the world am I to 
do ? I know no one ; I know nothing of English customs or 
society; I should indeed be the most forlorn person in exist- 
ence, with a large country estate and a mansion in London. 
I want someone to introduce me into society and set me on 
my legs, manage me and my house, and preside at my table. 
I am not yet twenty, and have not as much knowledge of 
English ways as a hoy of ten. I should be taken in and 
duped in every way, and be at the mercy of every adventurer. 
I feel that it would be a sacrifice for you to leave your pretty 
home here, but I am sure, for the sake of my father, you will 
not refuse to do so.” 

His aunts admitted that there was great justice in what 
he said, and finally submitted to his request to preside over 
his house until, as they said, the time came when he would in- 
troduce a younger mistress. Zaki, when his six months’ trial 
was over, scorned the idea of returning to the Soudan, declar- 
ing that if Gregory would not keep him he would rather beg 
in the streets than go back there. 

“ It is all wonderful here,” he said ; “ we poor Arabs could 
not dream of such things. Ho, master, as long as you live, 
I shall stay here.” 

“ Very well, Zaki, so be it; and I can promise you that if 
I die before you, you will be so provided for, that you will 
be able to live in as much' comfort as you now enjoy, and in 
addition you will be your own master.” 

Zaki shook his head. “ I should be a fool to wish to be 
my own master,” he said, after having such a good one at 
present.” 


380 


WITH KITCHENEE IH THE SOUDAN 


Gregory is learning the duties of a large land-owner, and is 
already very popular in his part of Devonshire. The man- 
sion in London has not yet been reopened, as Gregory says he 
must learn his lessons perfectly before he ventures to take 
his place in society. 


THE END. 


A LIST OF BOOKS 

FOR 

YOUNG PEOPLE 

By G. A. HENTY 

BY CONDUCT AND COURAGE 

A Story of Nelson’s Days. Illustrated. |1.20 net (postage, 16c.). 

This, the last of the celebrated Henty Books ever to be published, is a 
rattling story of the battle and the breeze in the glorious days of Parker 
and Nelson. The hero is brought up in a Yorkshire fishing village, and 
enters the navy as a ship’s boy. 

In the. course of a few months after joining he so distinguishes him- 
self in action with French ships and Moorish pirates that he is raised to 
the dignity of midshipman. His ship is afterward sent to the West 
Indies. Here his services attract the attention of the Admiral, who 
gives him command of a small cutter. In this vessel he cruises about 
among the islands, chasing and capturing pirates, and even attacking 
their strongholds. He is a born leader of men, and his pluck, foresight, 
and resource win him success where men of greater experience might 
have failed. He is several times taken prisoner : by mutinous negroes in 
Cuba, by Moorish pirates who carry him as a slave to Algiers, and finally 
by the French. In this last case he escapes in time to take part in the 
battles of Cape St. Vincent and Camperdown. His adventures include a 
thrilling experience in Corsica with no less a companion than Nelson 
himself. 

WITH THE ALLIES TO PEKIN 

A Tale of the Relief of the Legations. Illustrated by Wal Paget. 

$1.20 net. 

' ' In this book the writer re-tells the story of the Siege of Pekin in a way 
that is sure to grip the interest of his young readers. The experience of 
Rex Bateman, the son of an English merchant at Tientsin, and of his 
cousins, two girls whom Rex rescues from the Boxers just after the first 
outbreak, offer a variety of heroic incident sufficient to fire the loyalty of 
the most indifferent lad. 


THROUGH THREE CAMPAIGNS 

A Story of Chitral, Tirah, and Ashanti. Illustrated by Wal Paget. 
$1.20 net. ■ 

The exciting story of a boy’s adventures in the British Army. Lisle 
Bullen, left an orphan, is to be sent home by the colonel of the regiment 
on the eve of the Chitral campaign. The boy’s patriotism compels him, 
instead, to secretly join the regiment. He early distinguishes himself 
for conspicuous bravery. His disguise is discovered and his promotions 
follow rapidly. 


BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


By G. a. HENTY 

“ Among writers of stories of adventures for boys Mr. Henty stands 
in the very first rank .” — Academy (London). 


THE TREASURE OF THE INCAS 

A Tale of Adventure in Peru. “With 8 full-page Illustrations 
by Waij Paget, and Map. $1.20 net. 

Peru and the hidden treasures of her ancient kings offer Mr. Henty a 
most fertile field for a stirring story of adventure in his most engaging 
style. In an effort to win the girl of his heart, the hero penetrates into 
the wilds of the land of the Incas. Boys who have learned to look for 
Mr. Henty’s books will follow his new hero in his adventurous and 
romantic expedition with absorbing interest. It is one of the most cap- 
tivating tales Mr. Henty has yet written. 

WITH KITCHENER IN THE SOUDAN 

A Story of Atbara and Omdurman. With 10 full-page Illus- 
trations. $1.20 net. 

Mr. Henty has never combined history and thrilling adventure more 
skillfully than in this extremely interesting story. It is not in boy nat- 
ure to lay it aside unfinished, once begun ; and finished, the reader finds 
himself in possession, not only of the facts and the true atmosphere of 
Kitchener’s famous Soudan campaign, but of the Gordon tragedy which 
preceded it by so many years and of which it was the outcome. 

-WITH THE BRITISH LEGION 

A Story of the Carlist Uprising of 1836. Illustrated. $1.20 
net. 

Arthur Hallet, a young English boy, finds himself in difficulty at 
home, through certain harmless school escapades, and enlists in the 
famous “ British Legion,” which was then embarking for Spain to take 
part in the campaign to repress the Carlist uprising of 1836. Arthur 
shows his mettle in the first fight, distinguishes himself by daring work 
in carrying an important dispatch to Madrid, makes a dashing and 
thrilling rescue of the sister of his patron, and is rapidly promoted to the 
rank of captain. In following the adventures of the hero the reader ob- 
tains, as is usual with Mr. Henty’s stories, a most accurate and interest- 
ing history of a picturesque campaign. 


BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


STORIES BY Q. A. HENTY 

His books have at once the solidity of history and the charm of 
romance. ’’-JowmaZ of Edtication. 


TO HERAT AND CABUL 

A Story of the First Afghan War. By G. A. Henty. With 
Illustrations. 12mo, $1.20 net. 

The greatest defeat ever experienced by the British Army was that 
in the Mountain Passes of Afghanistan. Angus Cameron, the hero of 
this book, having been captured by the friendly Afghans, was com- 
pelled to be a witness of the calamity. His whole story is an intensely 
interesting one, from his boyhood in Persia; his employment under the 
Government at Herat; through the defense of that town against the 
Persians; to Cabul, where he shared in all the events which ended in 
the awful march through the Passes from which but one man escaped. 
Angus is always at the point of danger, and whether in battle or in 
hazardous expeditions shows how much a brave youth, full of 
resources, can do, even with so treacherous a foe. His dangers and 
adventures are thrilling, and his esca pes marvellous. 

WITH ROBERTS TO PRETORIA 

A Tale of the South African War. By G. A Henty. With 12 
Illustrations. $1.20 net. 

The Boer War gives Mr. Henty an unexcelled opportunity for a 
thrilling story of present-day interest which the author could not fail to 
take advantage of. Every boy reader will find this account of the ad- 
ventures of the young hero most exciting, and, at the same time a 
wonderfully accurate description of Lord Roberts’s campaign to Preto- 
ria. Boys have found history in the dress Mr. Henty gives it anything 
but dull, and the present book is no exception to the rule. 

AT THE POINT OF THE BAYONET 

A Tale of the Mahratta War. By G. A. Henty. Illustrated. 
12mo, $1.20 net. 

One hundred years ago the rule-of the British in India was only partly 
established. The powerful Mahrattas were unsubdued, and with their 
skill in intrigue, and great milita^ power, they were exceedingly dan- 
gerous. The story of “At the Point of the Bayonet” begins with 
the attempt to conquer this powerful people. Harry Lindsay, an 
infant when his father and mother were killed, was saved by his 
Mahratta ayah, who carried him to her own people and brought him 
up as a native. She taught him as best she could, and, having told him 
his parentage, sent him to Bombay to be educated. At sixteen he ob- 
tained a commission in the English Army, and his knowledge of the 
Mahratta tongue combined with his ability and bravery enabled him to 
render great service in the Mahratta War, and carried him, through 
many frightful perils by land and sea, to high rank. 


BOOKS FOR YOUNG PKOPLE 


BYC. A. HENTY 

“Mr. Henty inig:ht with entire propriety be called the boys’ Sir 
Walter Scott .” — Philadelphia Press, 


IN THE IRISH BRIGADE 

A Tale of War in Flanders and Spain. With 12 Illustrations by 
Charles M. Sheldon. 12mo, $1.50. 

Desmond Kennedy is a young Irish lad who left Ireland to join the 
Irish Brigade in the service of Louis XIV. of France. In Paris he in- 
curred the deadly hatred of a powerful courtier from whom he had 
rescued a young girl who had been kidnapped, and his perils are of ab- 
sorbing interest. Captured in an attempted Jacobite invasion of Scot- 
land, he escaped in a most extraordinary manner. As aid-de-camp 
to the Duke of Berwick he experienced thrilling adventures in Flan- 
ders. Transferred to the Army in Spain, he was nearly assassinated, but 
escaped to return, when peace was declared, to his native land, having 
received pardon and having recovered his estates. The story is filled 
with adventure, and the interest never abates. 


OUT WITH GARIBALDI 

A Story of the Liberation of Italy. By G. A. Henty. With 
8 Illustrations by W. Rainey, R.I. 12mo, $1.50. 

Garibaldi himself is the central figure of this brilliant story, and the 
little-known history of the struggle for Italian freedom is told here in 
the most thrilling way. From the time the hero, a young lad, son of 
an English father and an Italian mother, joins Garibaldi’s band of 
1,000 men in the first descent upon Sicily, which was garrisoned by one 
of the large Neapolitan armies, until the end, when all those armies 
are beaten, and the two Sicilys are conquered, we follow with the 
keenest interest the exciting adventures of the lad in scouting, in 
battle, and in freeing those in prison for liberty’s sake. 


WITH DULLER IN NATAL 

Or, A Born Leader. By G. A. Henty. With 10 Illustrations 
by W. Rainey. 12mo, $1.50. 

The breaking out of the Boer War compelled Chris King, the hero 
of the story, to fiee with his mother from Johannesburg to the sea 
coast. They were with many other Uitlanders, and all suffered much 
from the Boers. Reaching a place of safety for their families, Chris 
and twenty of his friends formed an independent company of scouts. In 
this service they were with Gen. Yule at Glencoe, then in Ladysmith, 
then with Buller. In each place they had many thrilling adventures. 
They were in great battles and in lonely fights on the Veldt ; were 
taken prisoners and escaped; and they rendered most valuable service 
to the English forces. The story is a most interesting picture of the 
War in South Africa. 


BOOKS FOR rovm PEOPLE 


BY Q. A. HENTY 

Surely Mr. HenW should understand boys’ tastes better than any 
man living.”— Times. 


WON BY THE SWORD 

A Tale of the Thirty Years’ War. With 13 Illustrations by 
Charles M. Sheldon, and four Plans. 13mo, $1.50. 

The scene of this story is laid in Prance, during the time of Richelieu, 
of Mazarin and Anne of Austria. The hero, Hector Campbell, is the 
orphaned son of a Scotch officer in the French Army. Hov^ he at- 
tracted the notice of Marshal Turenne and of the Prince of Conde ; 
how he rose to the rank of Colonel ; how he finally had to leave France, 
pursued by the deadly hatred of the Due de Beaufort — all these and 
much more the story tells with the most absorbing interest. 

A ROVING COMMISSION 

Or, Through the Black Insurrection at Hayti. With 12 Illus- 
trations by William Rainey. 12mo, $1.50. 

This is one of the most brilliant of Mr. Henty’s books. A story of 
the sea, with all its life and action, it is also full of thrilling adven- 
tures on land. So it holds the keenest interest until the end. The 
scene is a new one to Mr. Henty’s readers, being laid at the time of the 
Great Revolt of the Blacks, by which Hayti became independent. 
Toussaint I’Overture appears, and an admirable picture is given of him 
and of his power. 

NO SURRENDER 

The Story of the Revolt in La Vendee. With 8 Illustrations 
by Stanley L. Wood. 12mo, $1.50. 

The revolt of La Vendee against the French Republic at the time of 
the Revolution forms the groundwork of this absorbing story. Leigh 
Stansfield, a young English lad, is drawn into the thickest of the con- 
fiict. Forming a company of boys as scouts for the Vend^an Army, 
he greatly aids the peasants. He rescues his sister from the guillotine, 
and finally, after many thrilling experiences, when the cause of La 
Vendde is lost, he escapes to England. 

UNDER WELLINGTON'S COMMAND 

A Tale of the Peninsular War. With 12 Illustrations by Wal 
Paget. 12mo, $1.50. 

The dashing hero of this book, Terence O’Connor, was the hero of 
Mr. Henty’s previous book, “ With Moore at Corunna,” to which this 
is really a sequel. He is still at the head of the “ Minho ” Portuguese 
regiment. Being detached on independent and guerilla duty with his 
regiment, he renders invaluable service in gaining information and in 
harassing the French. His command, being constantly on the edge of 
the army, is engaged in frequent skirmishes and some most important 
battles. 


BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


BY G. A. HENTY 

•*Mr. Henty is the king of story-tellers for boys .” — Sword and Trowd. 


AT ABOUKIR AND ACRE 

A Story of Napoleon’s Invasion of Egypt. With 8 full-page 
Illustrations by William Rainey, and 3 Plans. 12mo, 
$1.50. 


The hero, having saved the life of the son of an Arab chief, is taken 
Into the tribe, has a part in the battle of the Pyramids and the revolt 
at Cairo. He is an eye-witness of the famous naval battle of Aboukir, 
and later is in the hardest of the defense of Acre. 


BOTH SIDES THE BORDER 

A Tale of Hotspur and Glendower. With 13 full-page Illus- 
trations by Ralph Peacock. 12mo, $1.50. 

This is a brilliant story of the stirring times of the beginning of the 
Wars of the Roses, when the Scotch, under Douglas, and the Welsh, 
under Owen Glendower, were attacking the English. The hero of the 
book lived near the Scotch border, and saw many a hard fight there. 
Entering the service of Lord Percy, he was sent to Wales, where he 
was knighted, and where he wag captured. Being released, he retumed 
home, and shared in the fatal battle of Shrewsbury. 


WITH FREDERICK THE GREAT 

A Tale of the Seven Years’ War. With 12 full-page Illustra- 
tions. 13mo, $1.50. 

The hero of this story while still a youth entered the service of 
Frederick the Great, and by a succession of fortunate circumstances 
and perilous adventures, rose to the rank of colonel. Attached to the 
staff of the king, he rendered distinguished services in many battles, in 
one of which he saved the king’s life. Twice captured and imprisoned, 
he both times escaped from the Austrian fortresses. 


A MARCH ON LONDON 

A Story of Wat Tyler’s Rising. With 8 full-page Illustra- 
tions by W. H. Margetson. 12mo, $1.50. 

The story of Wat Tyler’s Rebellion is but little known, but the hero 
of this story passes through that perilous time and takes part in the 
civil war in Flanders which followed soon after. Although young he 
is thrown into many exciting and dangerous adventures, through which 
he passes with great coolness and much credit. 


BOOKS FOR roum PEOPLE 


BY G. A. HENTY , 

“No country nor epoch of history is there which Mr. Hentydoes not 
know, and what is really remarkable is that he always writes well and 
interestingly .” — New York Times. 


WITH MOORE AT CORUNNA 

A Story of the Peninsular War. With 12 full-page Illustra- 
tions by Wal Paget. 12mo, $1.60. 

Terence O’Connor is living with his widowed father, Captain O’Con- 
nor of the Mayo Fusiliers, with the regiment at the time when the 
Peninsular war began. Upon the regiment being ordered to Spain, 
Terence gets appointed as aid to one of the generals of a division. By 
his bravery and great usefulness throughout the war, he is rewarded 
by a commission as colonel in the Portuguese army and there rendered 
great service. 

AT AGINCOURT 

A Tale of the White Hoods of Paris. With 12 full-page 
Illustrations by Walter Paget. Crown 8vo, olivine 
edges, $1.50. 

The story begins in a grim feudal castle in Normandie. The times 
were troublous, and soon the king compelled Lady Margaret de Villeroy 
with her children to go to Paris as hostages. Guy Aylmer went with 
her. Paris was turbulent. Soon the guild of the butchers, adopting 
white hoods as their uniform, seized the city, and besieged the house 
where our hero and his charges lived. After desperate fighting, the 
white hoods were beaten and our hero and his charges escaped from 
the city, and from France. 

WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 

A Tale of the Exploits of Lord Cochrane in South American 
Waters. With 12 full-page Illustrations by W. H, 
Margetson. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1,50. 

The hero of this story accompanies Cochrane as midshipman, and 
serves in the war between Chili and Peru. He has many exciting 
adventures in battles by sea and land, is taken prisoner and condemned 
to death by the Inquisition, but escapes by a long and thrilling flight 
across South America and down the Amazon. 

ON THE IRRAWADDY 

A Story of the First Burmese War. With 8 full page Illus- 
trations by W. H. Overend. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, 

$1.50. 

The hero, having an uncle, a trader on the Indian and Burmese 
rivers, goes out to join him. Soon after, war is declared by Burmah 
against England and he is drawn into it. He has many experiences 
and narrow escapes in battles and in scouting. With half-a-dozen 
men he rescues his cousin who had been taken prisoner, and in the 
flight they are besieged in an old, ruined temple. 


BOOKS FOB TOXTNO PEOPLE 


BY G. A. HENTY 

“ Boys like stirring adventures, and Mr. Henty is a master of this 
method of composition .” — New York Times. 


THROUGH RUSSIAN SNOWS 

A Story of Napoleon’s Retreat from Moscow. With 8 fuU- 
page Illustrations by W. H. Ovbrend and 3 Maps. Crown 
8 VO, olivine edges, $1.60. 

The hero, Julian Wyatt, after several adventures with smugglers, by 
whom he is handed over a prisoner to the French, regains his freedom 
and joins Napoleon’s army in the Russian campaign. When the terrible 
retreat begins, Julian finds himself in the rearguard of the French army, 
fighting desperately. Ultimately he escapes out of the general disaster, 
and returns to England. 

A KNIGHT OF THE WHITE CROSS 

A Tale of the Siege of Rhodes. With 12 full-page Illustra- 
tions by Ralph Peacock, and a Plan. Crown 8vo, olivine 
edges, $1.60. 

Gervaise Tresham, the hero of this story, joins the Order of the 
Knights of St. John, and proceeds to the stronghold of Rhodes. Sub- 
sequently he is appointed commander of a war-galley, and in his first 
voyage destroys a fieet of Moorish corsairs. During one of his cruises 
the young knight is attacked on shore, captured after a desperate 
struggle, and sold into slavery in Tripoli. He succeeds in escaping, and 
returns to Rhodes in time to take part in the defense of that fortress. 

THE TIGER OF MYSORE 

A Story of the War with Tippoo Saib. With 12 full-page 
Illustrations by W. H. Margetson, and a Map. Crown 
8vo, olivine edges, $1.60. 

Dick Holland, whose father is supposed to be a captive of Tippoo 
Saib, goes to India to help him to escape. He joins the army under 
Lord Cornwallis, and takes part in the campaign againt Tippoo. 
Afterwards he assumes a disguise, enters Seringapatam, and at last 
he discovers his father in the great stronghold of Savandroog. The 
hazardous rescue is at length accomplished, and the young fellow’s 
dangerous mission is done. 

IN THE HEART OF THE ROCKIES 

A Story of Adventure in Colorado. By G. A. Henty. With 
8 full-page Illustrations by G. C. Hindley. Crown 8vo, 
olivine edges, $1.60. 

The hero, Tom Wade, goes to seek his uncle in Colorado, who is a 
hunter and gold-digger, and he is discovered, after many dangers, out 
on the Plains with some comrades. Going in quest of a gold mine, the 
little band is spied by Indians, chased across the Bad Lands, and 
overwhelmed by a snowstorm in the mountains. 


BOOKS FOR TOUNO PEOPLE 


BY Q. A. HENTY 

“Mr. Henty is one of the best story-tellers for young people.” 

— Spectator, 


WHEN LONDON BURNED 

A Story of the Plague and the Fire. By G. A. Henty. With 
12 full-page Illustrations by J. Finnemore. Crown 8vo, 
olivine edges, $1.50. 

The hero of this story was the son of a nobleman who had lost his 
estates during the troublous times of the Commonwealth. During the 
Great Plague and the Great Fire, Cyril was prominent among those 
who brought help to the panic-stricken inhabitants. 

WULF THE SAXON 

A Story of the Norman Conquest. By G. A. Henty. With 
12 full-page Illustrations by Ralph Peacock. Crown . 
8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 

The hero is a young thane who wins the favor of Earl Harold and 
becomes one of his retinue. When Harold becomes King of England 
Wulf assists In the Welsh wars, and takes part against the Norsemen 
at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. When William of Normandy in- 
vades England, Wulf is with the English host at Hastings, and stands 
by his king to the last in the mighty struggle. 

ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S EVE 

A Tale of the Huguenot Wars. By G. A. Henty. With 12 
full-page Illustrations by H. J. Draper, and a Map. 
Crown 8 VO, olivine edges, $1.50. 

The hero, Philip Fletcher, has a French connection on his mother’s 
side. This induces him to cross the Channel in order to take a share 
in the Huguenot wars. Naturally he sides with the Protestants, dis- 
tinguishes himself in various battles, and receives rapid promotion for 
the zeal and daring with which he carries out several secret missions. 

THROUGH THE SIKH WAR 

A Tale of the Conquest of the Punjaub. By G. A. Henty. 
With 12 full-page Illustrations by Hal Hurst, and a 
Map. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 

Percy Groves, a spirited English lad, joins his uncle in the Punjaub, 
where the natives are in a state of revolt. Percy joins the British 
force as a volunteer, and takes a distinguished share in the famous 
battles of the Punjaub. 


BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


BY G. A. HENTY 

** The brightest of the living writers whose ofiBce it is to enchant the 
boys . — Christian Leader. 


A JACOBITE EXILE 

Being the Adventures of a Young Englishman in the Service 
of Charles XII. of Sweden. By Q. A. Hentt. With 8 
full-page Illustrations by Paul Hardy, and a Map. Crown 
8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 

Sir Marmaduke Carstairs, a J acobite, is thejvictim of a conepira^, and 
he is denounced as a plotter against the life of King William. He flies 
to Sweden, accompanied by his son Charlie. This youth joins the 
foreign legion under Charles XII., and takes a distinguished part in 
several famous campaigns against the Russians and Poles^ 

CONDEMNED AS A NIHILIST 

A Story of Escape from Siberia. By G. A. Henty. With 8 
full-page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 

The hero of this story is an English boy resident in St. Petersburg. 
Through two student friends he becomes innocently involved m 
various political plots, resulting in his seizure by the Russian police 
and his exile to Siberia. He ultimately escapes, and, after many ex- 
citing adventures, he reaches Norway, and thence home, after a 
perilous journey which lasts nearly two years. 

BERIC THE BRITON 

A Story of the Roman Invasion. By G. A. Henty. With 
12 full-page Illustrations by W. Parkinson. Crown 8vo, 
olivine edges, $1.50. 

This story deals with the invasion of Britain by the Roman legionaries. 
Beric, who is a boy-chief of a British tribe, takes a prominent part in 
the insurrection under Boadicea ; and after the defeat of that heroic 
mieen (in A. D. 62) he continues the struggle in the fen-country. 
Ultimately Beric is defeated and carried captive to Rome, where he is 
trained in the exercise of arms in a school of gladiators. At length he 
returns to Britain, where he becomes ruler of his own'people. 

IN GREEK WATERS 

A Story of the Grecian War of Independence (1821-1827). By 
G. A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by W. S. 
Stacey, and a Map. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 

Deals with the revolt of the Greeks in 1821 against Turkish oppres- 
sion. Mr. Beveridge and his son Horace flt out a privateer, load it 
with military stores, and set sail for Greece. They rescue the Chris- 
tians, relieve the captive Greeks, and fight the Turkish war vessels. 


BOOKS FOR TO UNO PEOPLE 


BY G. A. HENTY 

“ No living writer of books for boys writes to better purpose than 
Mr, G. A. Henty .” — Philadelphia Press, 


THE DASH FOR KHARTOUM 

A Tale of the Nile Expedition. By G. A. Henty. With 10 
full-page Illustrations by John SchOnbebg and J. Nash. 
Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 

In the record of recent British history there is no more captivating 
page for boys than the story of the Nile campaign, and the attempt to 
rescue General Gordon. For, in the diflBculties which the expedition 
encountered, in the perils which it overpassed, and in its final tragic 
disappointments, are found all the excitements of romance, as well as 
the fascination which belongs to real events. 


REDSKIN AND COW-BOY . 

A Tale of the Western Plains. By G. A. Henty. With 12 
full-page Illustrations by Alfred Pbarse. Crown 8vo, 
olivine edges, $1.50. 

The central interest of this story is found in the many adventures of 
an English lad, who seeks employment as a cow-boy on a cattle ranch. 
His experiences during a “ round-up ” present in picturesque form the 
toilsome, exciting, adventurous life of a cow-boy ; while the perils of a 
frontier settlement are vividly set forth in an Indian raid. 


HELD FAST FOR ENGLAND 

A Tale of the Siege of Gibraltar. By G. A. Henty. With 
8 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Crown 8vo, 
olivine edges, $1.50. 

This story deals with one of the most memorable sieges in history — 
the siege of Gibraltar in 1779-83 by the united forces of France and 
Spain. With land forces, fieets, and fioating batteries, the combined 
resources of two great nations, this grim fortress was vainly besieged 
and bombarded. The hero of the tale, an English lad resident in 
Gibraltar, takes a brave and worthy part in the long defence, and it is 
through his varied experiences that we learn with what bravery, re- 
source, and tenacity the Rock was held for England. 


Note. — F or a list of Henty Books at popular prices, see the 
following page. 


BOOKS FOR BOYS 

BY 

CAPTAIN F. S. BRERETON 

Captain Brereton’s stories for boys rank, in England, with 
Mr. Henty’s. Captain Brereton, like Mr. Heiity, builds up stir- 
ring tales of adventure against a background of fact, and he is 
equally skillful in the construction of his exciting plots and the 
reconstruction of a true historical atmosphere. His books deserve 
here the great popularity they enjoy in England. 


IN THE GRIP OF THE MULLAH 

A Tale of Adventure in Somaliland. Illustrated. $1.20 net 
(postage, 16c.). 

FOES OF THE RED COCKADE 

A Story of the French Revolution. Illustrated. $1.20 net 
(postage, 16c.). 

IN THE KING’S SERVICE 

A Tale of Cromwell’s Invasion of Ireland. Illustrated. 12mo, $1.50. 

■ ONE OF THE FIGHTING SCOUTS 

A Tale of Guerilla Warfare in South Africa. Illustrated. l2mo, 
$1.50. 

WITH RIFLE AND BAYONET 

A Tale of Mafeking and Ladysmith. Illustrated. 12mo, $1.50. 

THE DRAGON OF PEKIN 

A Story of the Boxers’ Revolt. Illustrated. 12mo, $1.50. 

A GALLANT GRENADIER 

A Tale of the Crimean War. Illustrated. 12mo, $1.50. 

UNDER THE SPANGLED BANNER 

A Tale of the Spanish-Araerican War. Illustrated. I2mo, $1.50. 


BOYS OF THE SERVICE 


BY . 

CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY 


A MIDSHIPMAN IN THE PACIFIC 

The Story of a Kidnapped American Boy. By Cyrus Townsend 
Brady. Illustrated. 12mo, net (postage, 14c.). 

The young hero of Mr. Brady’s new book in the “Boys of the Service” 
series is kidnapped in a British whaler on the South Pacific. The 
wreck of the wh^er, the lad’s voyage in an open boat until he is rescued 
by the trading vessel the Tonquire^ the capture of the Tonquire by the 
Indians and the massacre of the crew, the escape of- the boy to sea and 
his rescue by another British whaler, which is captured, are set forth in 
Mr. Brady’s liveliest manner. The book is both entertaining and instruc- 
tive in that it gives an accurate picture of the life on the whalers and on 
the United States warships of a hundred years ago. The story is illus- 
trated and is uniform with “In the Wasp’s Nest” and “In the War 
with Mexico.” 


IN THE WAR WITH MEXICO 

A Midshipman’s Adventures on Sea and Shore. By Cyrus Town- 
send Brady. Illustrated by W. T. Aylward. %l.20 net. 

“ Adventures afloat and ashore — good, patriotic adventures, too — are 
the things Mr. Brady tells of in this story. .... His book is one 
to stir the blood of every boy and make him rejoice that he is an 
American .” — Nashville American. 


IN THE WASP’S NEST 

By Cyrus Townsend Brady. Illustrated by Rurus F. Zogbaum. 
$1.20 net. 

“ When Cyrus Townsend Brady sets out to tell a story of adventure 
and fighting at sea it can be depended on as a breezy narrative that will 
stir the pulses of the reader who enjoys that kind of tale. If addressed 
particularly to boys there is a feast in prospect to all boys of healthy 
Mtures. ‘In the Wasp’s Nest’ is a rattling good story of this Ibnd.” 

— Cleveland Plain Dealer. 


BOOKS BY PAUL DU CHAILLU 


IN AFRICAN FOREST AND JUNGLE 

By Paul Du Chaillu. With 24 illustrations by Victor Perard. 
$1.50 net, 

“ A good, healthy book that is full of manly sentiment and stirring 

adventure The book tells of adventures that will never lose 

their charm, and the style is good and clear. There is nothing wishy- 
washy about it. It makes admirable reading .” — Baltimore Sun. 


KING MOMBO 

By Paul Du Chaillu, author of “The World of the Great 
Forest,” etc. With 24 illustrations. $1.50 net. 

“A fascinating story of exploration in Africa as it was in the days 
before Stanley made the Dark Continent so familiar,” 

—Philadelphia Press. 


THE LAND OF THE LONG NIGHT 

By Paul Du Chaillu. With 24 full-page illustrations by W. J. 
Burns. Square 12mo, $2.00. 

“Happy is the winter evening of that young person who, forgetting 
time and space and the household gods about him, goes forth into 
strange countries with Paul Du Chaillu. For that most kindly of 
travelers has in narrative a beguiling simplicity and realism which 
enable him to hold his readers closely to the end.” 

— New York Tribune. 


THE WORLD OF THE GREAT FOREST 

How Animals, Birds, Reptiles, and Insects Talk, Think, Work, and 
Live. By Paul Du Chaillu. With over 50 illustrations by 
C. R. Knight and J. M. Gleeson. Svb, $2.00. 

“ Mr. Du Chaillu has the rare gift of being able to endow the lower 
animals with very pleasant and interesting personalities. And when you 
have finished his book you feel that you have added materially to the 
list of your acquaintances .” — New York Evening Sun. 


BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 


A List of Books by- 
Kirk Munroe 

A SON OF SATSUMA 

Or, with Perry in Japan. By Kirk Munroe. With 12 illus- 
trations by Harry C. Edwards. ^1.00 net. 

This absorbing story for boys deals with one of the most interesting 
episodes in our National history. From the beginning Japan has been a 
land of mystery. Foreigners were permitted to land only at certain 
points on her shores, and nothing whatever was known of her civilization 
and history, her romance and magnificence, her wealth and art. It was 
Commodore Perry who opened her gates to the world, thus solving the 
mystery of the ages, and, in this thrilling story of an American boy in 
Japan at that period, the spirit as well as the history of this great 
achievement is ably set forth. 


IN PIRATE WATERS 

A Tale of the American Navy. Illustrated by 1. W. Taber. 
12mo, $1.25. 

The hero of the story becomes a midshipman in the navy just'at the 
time of the war with Tripoli. His own wild adventures among the 
Turks and his love romance are thoroughly interwoven with the stirring 
history of that time. 


WITH CROCKETT AND BOWIE 

Or, Fighting for the Lone Star Flag. A Tale of Texas. By 
Kirk Munroe. With 8 full-page Illustrations by Victor 
P kRARD. Crown 8vo. $1.25. 

The story is of the Texas revolution in 1835, when American Texans 
under Sam Houston, Bowie, Crockett, and Travis fought for relief from 
the intolerable tyranny of the Mexican Santa Afia. The hero, Rex 
Hardin, son of a Texan ranchman and graduate of an American military 
school, takes a prominent part in the heroic defense of the Alamo, and 
the final triumph at San Jacinto. 


BOOKS FOR Yoma PEOPLE 


^ . By kirk MUNROE 

\ THROUGH SWAMPLAND GLADE 

A Tala of the Seminole War. By Kirk Munroe. With 8 
full-page niustratione'by V. P^rard. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 

Coaooochee, the hero of the story,- is thei son of Philip, the chieftain of 
the Seminoles. Hq grows fu|)^to lead his tribe in the long struggle which 
resulted in the Indians being driven from the north of Florida down to 
the distant southern wilderness. 


AT WAR WITH PONTIAC 

Or, the Totem of the Bear. A Tale of Redcoat and Redskin. 
By Kirk Munroe. With 8 full-page illustrations by J. 
PiNNEMORE. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 

A story when the shores of Lake Erie were held by hostile Indians. 
The hero, Donald Hester, goes in search of his sister Edith, who has 
been captured by the Indians. Strange and terrible are his experiences ; 
for he is wounded, taken prisoner, condemned to be burned, but contrives 
to escape. In the end all things terminate happily. 


THE WHITE CONQUERORS 

A Tale of Toltec and Aztec. By Kirk Munroe. With 8 full- 
page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 

This story deals with the conquest of Mexico by Cortez and his Span- 
iards, the “ White Conquerors,” who, after many deeds of valor, pushed 
their way into the great Aztec kingdom and established their power in 
the wondrous city where Montezruna reigned in splendor. 


MIDSHIPMAN STUART 

Or, the Last Cruise of the Essex. A Tale of the War of 
1812. Illustrated. 12mo, $1.25. 

This is an absorbing story of life in the American Navy during the 
stirring times of our war of 1812. The very spirit of the period is in its 
pages, and many of the adventures of the Essex are studied from history. 

720 


N# 









m 









Z' A "O ^ ^ 

« ^ ^ ^‘r \\‘ 



^ 



C^ v> 



0 ^ 

C . 

rv ^ 


' n'^ y 


\\1 



■%. \ 

^ X o 0 

- a'^ ^ 3 ^ 


„ v" .<!>^ 

^ - X ' « . cx\^ .. 0 N r, ^ 

A 


^0 * \ 


v\ 






y 



,<is^.„V- -if. V. ‘ 


c 










^ 0 ^ 



» lai® <i>' ^ : 

* ^ c5 -A C^ \ ^ -A 

^ v <D ^ J cS ^ n I A. 

■i' -"o, ‘ * ' .% c 




' “ lo'^^ ' “,'’ '^'‘ ' v't ' ' ' 


•>> 

‘ cO 




S 


;i 

' < . ■ ■ . :*< • ™ •>’_... X- y 't . ^ 

^ A ^ ^ ^ * '‘in *‘^!l<s 4*1 o- 



^ o 


y* 

^ *>^ V 

'“ -CL^ -^11 ■ ' ' ' ^ 

^ ^o o,'^’ ^(y „ o '0^ 

,<^- ^ fCCv^fA o '<j^ c- ,Sili^ " 


‘^■ 


\0 


.0^ V 

"^ •>* V 

•*■ -A. *" 

;.'%■«■' ■% ' 

X V 




K.0X. 





V' V 


o c3 O 

> ("a ^ 

_^i-NV <, V 1 8 ^ ^ 





